Coming Home? Patterns and Characteristics of Return Migration in Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Kazakhstan are all major destinations for labour migrants from rural areas of southern Kyrgyzstan. Along with searching for better income, younger men and women also migrate for educational purposes; children and elderly people stay behind. While older migrants often regard this separation from their families as temporary, younger people start to put down roots in places other than their homes and this has long-term consequences for development in rural areas. The paper therefore looks into families' multi-local settings and why young migrants fail to return home. It also considers the potential impact on rural development including remittance dependency, an increasing shortage of qualified labour and new conditions of social care. The paper concludes with an assessment of the policy implications.

Patrilocal Residence and Female Labour Supply

“…Sasaki (2002) We argue that the instrument that we use in this paper is both relevant and plausibly valid. It is derived from a Central Asian tradition, according to which the youngest son of a family is supposed to stay with his parents and to ensure their well-being (Bauer et al, 1997;Thieme, 2014;Rubinov, 2014). Any woman who is married to a youngest son is thus substantially more likely to co-reside with parentsin-law than a woman who is married to an older sibling.…”

“…According to tradition, the youngest son and his wife never move out and are responsible for the well-being of the parents (Bauer et al, 1997;Kuehnast, 2004;Thieme, 2014;Rubinov, 2014). As a way of compensation, the youngest son inherits the house and the land upon the death of his father.…”

Migration and animal husbandry: Competing or complementary livelihood strategies. Evidence from Kyrgyzstan

“…However, migrants only return under certain circumstances and not necessarily to the rural areas from which they originally came. Specific consequences for rural development can be remittance dependency, an aggravation of the lack of labour force and new conditions for social care (Thieme, forthcoming).…”

“…Last but not least, migration by family members entails a loss of human resources at farm level, forcing those who stay behind to reallocate the workload and reorganize their households. This latter factor appears all the more relevant when one takes into account that many young migrants seem to get used to an urban lifestyle and start building their lives in other places than those they originally came from (Thieme, forthcoming).…”

Essays on migration and occupational choice

“…Facing limited formal sector employment opportunities, returnees would often work in small, informal, self-employed activities until finding formal wage employment or migrating again (Piracha and Vadean, 2010). The latter is often an option in countries where migration is structural and a means to secure an economic basis at home, such as in the case of Kyrgyzstan (Thieme, 2014).…”