12. Transitioning strategies of economic survival: Romanian migration during the transition process

Abstract

Drawing on qualitative fieldwork conducted between 1998 and 2003 on Romanian economic migrants, this paper proposes an analysis of the role of temporary migration within the transition process in Romania. This article first addresses the national context from which these migrations emerged, considering the hypothesis that this transnational activity is merely a new form of the numerous survival strategies used by Romanians to resist to the economic depression which has ensued since the 1989 Revolution. Furthermore, we postulate that these new economic strategies are the prolongation and modernization of informal activities developed during communist times. We suggest, in a second section, that migrations may play in favour of the transition process. Although Romanian migrations have long been considered a problem in terms of the process of EU accession, Romanian migrants participate in many ways in the economic restructuring of their homeland. We shall show that by investing remittances in Romania and developing transnational culture and networks, they actually accelerate the transformations of the country toward European lifestyles and standards.

The unwritten ‘laws of migration’: reflections on inequalities, aspirations and cultures of migration

“…During the last 30 years, Romania has undergone major political, economic and social transformations and different types and patterns of population movements have emerged, combining internal and international migration. Rural to urban migration and temporary mobility patterns within the country have steadily increased, while international permanent or temporary migration has gained momentum, creating a complex web of transnational relations between Romania and the rest of Europe (Sandu, 2005ab;Horváth & Gabriel Anghel, 2009;Elrick & Ciobanu, 2009;Potot, 2010). Since the Romanian Revolution of December 1989, five basic emigration periods may be distinguished with different mobility patterns, destination countries, patterns in the organization of migration, and motives and intentions for migration (see Sandu, 2005a;Horváth & Gabriel Anghel, 2009).…”

“…Indeed, during the research, the role of linguistic proximity (in the case of Italy and Spain) and of religion (Christian Orthodoxy in the case of Greece) were considered important factors when examining possible destination countries. Equally important, the development and establishment of Romanian migrant networks in Western Europe and Southern European countries are among the main contributing factors (see, among others, Sandu, 2005a;Gabriel Anghel, 2008;Elrick & Ciobanu, 2009;Potot, 2010;Ciobanu, 2015). The establishment of Romanian migrant networks was also facilitated by various policy changes over the last thirty years.…”

“…Romanian migration is seldom a linear or cyclical movement between Romania and the country of destination with the potential for return in the future. Rather, an extensive literature has documented how Romanian mobility is characterized by movements within Romania and between different countries (Sandu, 2005ab;Elrick & Ciobanu, 2009;Potot, 2010;Ciobanu, 2015). Examining the Romanian migration journey through the lens of mobility also highlights how migration aspirations and migration decisions are not taken once in a lifetime, but are actually reconstructed contiguously in accordance with changes in the perceived opportunities or constraints in the country of origin or the host(s).…”

International Migrant Remittances in the Context of Economic and Social Sustainable Development. A Comparative Study of Romania-Bulgaria

“…The volume of remittances is under-evaluated, because they do not always officially reach the immigrants' country of origin. If in the developed countries the foreigners represent cheap labour used in some sectors with the purpose of remaining competitive on the market, remittances represent important sources of income for the migrant sending countries [8].…”