We are delighted to introduce to you Central and Eastern European Migration Review (CEEMR) – the first online, multidisciplinary journal devoted specifically to the lively migratory processes of Central and Eastern Europe. In our view, the need for such a journal has been materialising for some time. The growing research output regarding international mobility from and to this region as well as integration patterns of CEE coun-tries’ citizens in destination countries, in particular in the European Union, has created a need for an academ-ic forum on this topic. We believe that CEEMR can effectively respond to this need.
The mission of CEEMR is to foster an academic discussion on scholarly works and research pertaining to migration within, into and out of the CEE region. From a comparative perspective, the CEEMR will address a broad range of topics related to international migration including determinants, mechanisms and conse-quences of international migration, as well as migration policies, migrants’ integration and ethnic relations. CEEMR will publish original, scholarly case-studies of CEE countries as well as works taking broader, in-ternational and transnational perspectives to examine migratory processes relevant to CEE countries and their citizens, ethnic minorities, institutions, territories, and policies.
Keywords: internal and international migration in post-war Poland, workers' commuting, mobility transition, incomplete migration, under-urbanisation
Abstract
The article is devoted to the analysis of factors that influenced internal migration in Poland after the Second World War and revealing the links of internal migration with incomplete migration, a new form of international mobility of people that was characteristic of the declining stage of communist reign in Poland. It also systematises the existing knowledge about migration within and beyond Poland.
The paper presents a review of selected definitional issues and theoretical concepts related to the phenomenon of immigrant self-employment. A chronological analysis of the developments of the academic discourse on the topic allows detecting the interconnections between various approaches and understanding their growing complexity. The inquiry is complemented with a review of most recent empirical studies, what enables an assessment of the applicability and usefulness of long-established concepts for framing contemporary studies. Based on the appraisal of gathered material this paper also points to the limitations and possible areas of development of future research in the field.
Keywords: return migration, selectivity of migration, washing-out of population
Abstract
The paper contains the analysis of selectivity of emigration and return migration to Poland in years 2004-2008. By using Migration Selectivity Index with comparable data (Labour Force Survey) we were able to confirm the hypothesis of ‘washing-out’ of selected categories of Polish population: men, people with post-secondary, secondary and vocational level of education, inhabitants of rural areas and those who live in agricultural households. We made an attempt to estimate the scale of the phenomenon and described its demographic consequences. Our analysis corresponds with the ‘crowding out’ hypothesis (Okólski 2011, 2012; cf. Grabowska-Lusińska, Okólski 2009; Anacka, Okólski 2010) stating that the post-accession emigration from Poland gave a chance to an economically ‘redundant’ labour force to move to regions and economic sectors with high demand for labour.
Agnieszka Fihel, Paweł Kaczmarczyk, Renata Stefańska
Keywords: international migration, emigration, immigration, migration policy, Poland, SOPEMI report
Abstract
The article presents the main recent developments in migration policy and migration trends to and from Poland. Polish migration policy has been becoming more open to immigrants in the years 2009-2011, especially immigrants needed by the Polish economy. At the same time, according to the new migration strategy, it is going to devote more attention to the issue of immigrants’ integration. As for trends in international migration, the trans-border mobility remained elevated and intensified, among others due to agreements on the Local Border Traffic with the Eastern neighbours. Since 2006 the emigration for a permanent stay has been decreasing and immigration for a permanent stay has been increasing, mostly due to return migration of Polish citizens, but still, in 2010 a negative net migration was registered. The number of long-term Polish emigrants stabilized, while the number of short-term emigrants declined abruptly, which suggests that Poland is already in a ‘late’ or ‘mature’ phase of post-accession emigration, characterized by stabilization of the outflow of settlement type and intensification of return migration. The latter is to some extent reflected by the statistics referring to immigration for a permanent stay and to mixed marriages. Labour immigration and foreign employment in Poland have been increasing constantly over recent years.
Przyglądając się półce z książkami każdego badacza migracji, bez względu na to, czy jest on ekonomistą, demografem, politologiem, antropologiem czy przedstawicielem innych nauk, można na niej znaleźć parę stałych pozycji. Jedną z nich jest The age of migration. International population movements in the modern world, napisana w 1993 roku przez profesorów Stephena Castlesa z University of Sydney i Marka J. Millera z University of Delaware. W tym klasycznym już, obszernym, bo liczącym około 400 stron (w zależności od wydania), dziele można znaleźć charakterystykę współczesnej mobilności ludzi.
W polskiej literaturze socjologicznej niewątpliwie mamy do czynienia z niedostatkiem refleksji teoretycznej dotyczącej szeroko rozumianych zjawisk migracji, która od początku transformacji systemowej w Polsce jest ważnym strukturalnym zjawiskiem społecznym. Ten niedostatek dotyka szczególnie problemu migracji w kontekście podejmowania i przebiegu karier zawodowych. Pomysł wypełnienia tej luki należy przyjąć z uznaniem, wskazując również na sprawność jego realizacji przez Izabelę Grabowską-Lusińską w wydanej przez Wydawnictwo Naukowe Scholar książce Migrantów ścieżki zawodowe „bez granic”, odnoszącej się do wspomnianego zjawiska ze styku uczestnictwa w rynku pracy i migracji zagranicznych. Warto powtórzyć za Autorką, że zawartą w tytule książki metaforę należy odnosić do przekraczania nie tylko granic terytorialnych, lecz także życiowych (mentalnych).
In connection with the recent IMISCOE migration conference in Portugal, hosting so many inspiring contributions and important debates on various processes and problems related to migration to/from/within Central and Eastern Europe, our journal invites proposals for Special Sections for the years 2025 and 2026.
