Migration and Development in Southeastern Europe since the 19th Century

Project Leaders: Miha Zobec (Ljubljana), Ulf Brunnbauer (Regensburg)
Funding: DAAD, Slovenian Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Innovation

This project focuses on analyzing the potential developmental repercussions of emigration and outmigration in Southeastern Europe since the 19th century. Southeastern Europe is a paradigmatic emigration region (and migration has accordingly received significant attention in research). However, a comparative and systematic investigation of the impacts of emigration (including return migration) on the socio-economic development of the regions of origin is still lacking. While the savings of migrants have had visible effects on their places of origin since the late 19th century, the longer-term and macroeconomic consequences remain unclear. 

Returnees have also contributed to transforming their home regions, yet societies in the region continue to suffer from an ongoing “brain drain” and, more recently, from growing labor shortages. This collaborative project will compare the motives and intentions of migrants with the socio-economic outcomes of migration, considering both short-term and long-term perspectives. The analysis will address various levels, ranging from individual families to local communities, regions, and national economies. Depending on the level of analysis, historical conclusions about whether emigration had positive or negative effects on "development" have varied.

Southeastern Europe is an ideal case for addressing these questions not only because of its rich migration history but also due to the variety of initiatives aimed at strengthening the so-called migration-development nexus. Can historical examples offer lessons for contemporary programs (such as those funded by the World Bank or GIZ)? 

The project will promote individual research efforts and exchange between teams in Germany and Slovenia with the aim of producing joint publications. Additionally, this two-year project will make a significant contribution to supporting early-career researchers and advanced students in their final stages of study.