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Links between integration and transnational mobility:some quantitative insights from ITHACA

Laura BartoliniITHACA Final Conference21-22 October 2015 – Villa La Fonte, EUI

• I & T: concepts and measures• ITHACA focuses on TM rather than T– Data scarcity and the purposes of the ITHACA Survey– Fieldwork and sampling (strengths and weaknesses)

• Some quantitative insights from the Survey– TM Index: a synthetic measure of TM– Correlations between I and TM Index

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Outline of the presentation

Overall purpose is to complement

qualitative analyses

• It encompasses economic, social, cultural, political and institutional dimensions: multi-faceted and multi-dimensional

• Multi-layered (from individuals to macro perspectives)

• Capacity & desire to be ‘integrated’ / to integrate

Challenges• Assessing (micro/macro)• Comparing across time & space• Measuring integration (aggregate level)

– Administrative and Survey data– Zaragoza list and Eurostat extended list

of indicators (EUI/MPC expertise on I)

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On I & T concepts and measures

• TN migrant links different contexts• Multi-faceted and multi-dimensional• Fascinating conceptual innovations (TN

social spaces/ networks/ communities), new ways of understanding identity, belonging, participation, integration…

• Capacity & desire to be TN

Challenges • Overemployed transnational practices• Concerns only a minority of migrants• How do you capture it? What data do we

have/ need to measure this phenomenon?• How can we compare across time &

space?

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The ITHACA Project

Aim of the studyTo study the LINK between TM and the

integration condition of migrants and returnees

Transnational (economic)

practices

Physical Mobility

Mobility through transfers

Civic / virtual mobilityTr

ansn

ation

al m

obili

ty

Means Investments

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The ITHACA Survey

Detailed interview: qualitative & quantitative

evidence

Multi-sited, cross-country fieldwork

Migrants in EU and returnees

• Entry criteria– To be (economically) active in both localities (CoD / CoO) – To be quite regular in terms of (physical) TM

• Challenges – Long and dispersed fieldwork over 9 countries– Difficult to find migrants with the desired characteristics– In some cases, difficult to find success stories / willingness to

share

• Final sample

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Fieldworkand challenges

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Integration at destination

BIH

IND

MOR

PHI

UKR

Ret

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

CoO onlyCoD onlyBothElsewhere too

54% females 16% under 30 yrs59% between 31-50 yrs74% urban place of birth29% post-graduate education39% graduate education61% married / cohabiting57% has children

324 interviews

Before First atdesti-nation

Current0

102030405060708090

100Entrepreneur

High

Medium

Unskilled

Not Emp. *

Occupation

Place of education

BIH

IND

UKR

Ret

IND

MO

R

PHI

UKR

Ret

IND

MO

PHI

UKR

Ret

BIH

IND

PHI

UKR

Ret

AT ES IT UK

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35Length of

stay

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Means of T/ 1

0 1 2-3 4+0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80BIH

IND

MOR

PHI

UKR

Ret

BIH

IND

MOR

PHI

UKR

Ret

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Activism/Health

Bureaucracy

Settling

Finding Job

Property & Bus.

Family

How many times have you travelled between CoD and CoO

over the past 2 years? (%)

Why? Family & Future

Physical mobility

9

Means of T / 2BIH

IND

MOR

PHI

UKR

Ret

0 20 40 60 80 100

24

21

21

44

37

47

AT

ES

IT

UK

0 20 40 60 80 100

33

46

36

14

Never

Sometimes

Regularly

Mobility through transfers

Do you send remittances? (%)

Subsistence

Education

Investment

Debt repayment

Mortgage

Family events

Donations

0 10 20 30 40 50

50

21

24

4

1

24

9

Why? (%)

10

Means of T / 3Civic

mobility

Membership and participation in NGOs &

associations (transnational connotation)

They convey different types of information Single multidimensional measure (index)

• Aggregation method• Varies between 1 (low TM) and 4 (high TM)

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A multidimensionalmeasure of TM

Means of transnationalism Transnational mobility index

Physical mobility

Mobility through transfers

Civic Mobility

Demography, education, family +/- +/- +/- +/-

Socio-cultural integration +/- +/- +/- +/-

Structural Integration +/- +/- +/- +/-

Transnational economic activities +/- +/- +/- +/-

Low correlation between the 3

dimensions

TMI-1 TMI-2

Physical mobility + Mob. through transfers

TMI-1 + Civic mobility

TMI-1 TMI-2  Corr. Corr.

Demography, education & family

Age (classes)↘↗ ↗Child ↗ ↗

Tertiary educated ↘↗Educated also abroad ↘

Child in CoD ↗Child in CoO ↗

Dependent in CoO ↗ ↗

Social and structural integration in CoD

Dual citizenship ↘↗Prevalent status - permanent ↗

Self-employed ↗Prof. / Trade U. member in CoD ↗

Income prevalently in CoD ↗ ↗Investment in CoD (business) ↗

Intention to settle in COO ↗ ↘↗

TN economic activities

Investment in CoO ↗ ↗Employ others in CoO ↘↗ ↘↗

Travels for taking care of property/bus. ↗ ↗

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Sketchy results / 1Link between TMI and selected I & T variables

• TM migrants are working-age adults with some family dependents in another country

• Self employment• Legal status• Investment at origin

• No stable association with sex, cultural integration, structural integration in the L mkt (purposive sample, self selection)

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Sketchy results / 2

By origin By destination

Low TM

High TM

Link between TMI-1 and the country of origin and of destination

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Thank you for your

attention!

Merci

Gracias

Shukran

Danke

laura.bartolini@eui.eu

завдяки

Salamat

धन्यवाद

Grazie Hvala