Push–pull factors influencing international return migration intentions: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review motivational factors driving migration return by assessing both push and pull factors that influence return intentions. The study aims to expand current literature of migration return, and proposes a conceptual framework. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review was conducted to determine the push–pull factors that influence international return migration. The authors did a comprehensive search of electronic databases using relevant key terms. Findings The findings highlight motivational factors in detail and classify them into three categories: economic, psychological and situational. Most of the literature concerning motives of migration return discussed economic and psychological as the two major factors, but here other motivational factors are presented, which are named as situational factors in this study. Research limitations/implications The paper adopts a systematic literature review method to probe into existing literature, inevitably lacking some empirical studies; thus, the results may not be generalizable. Therefore, future research is suggested to test the proposed propositions. Practical implications The paper offers compelling propositions, which could be a useful reference for migrants’ repatriation motives. It will shed light on motivational factors beyond economic and physiological factors. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to provide a comprehensive review of motivational factors of migration return using push–pull theory and propose beyond psychological and economic factors.

Challenges faced by necessity entrepreneurship, the case of Syrian refugees in Jordan

“…Among the “pull” factors are autonomous, income and wealth, challenges, recognition and status. However, the difference between “push” and “pull” factors is ambiguous (Mohamed and Abdul-Talib, 2020). According to Ojiaku et al (2018), the creation of a new company follows a “pull” dynamic when it is considered by the individual as a source of profit.…”

“…Situations where countries are suffering from internal crisis situations (such as Syria) are leading to more and more people fleeing their homes to take refuge in other countries. The conflict in Syria has given rise to one of the most devastating humanitarian crises in the past few decades (Ostrand, 2015; Harima et al , 2019; Mohamed and Abdul-Talib, 2020). According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (2020):…”

“…These hardships are amplified, especially when leaving to countries suffering from economic crises of their own, along with high unemployment rates (Refai et al , 2018; Koburtay et al , 2020). Thus, entrepreneurship is an imperative for survival (Harima et al , 2019; Mohamed and Abdul-Talib, 2020).…”

Empirical analysis of the push factors of human capital flight in Nigeria

“…It is necessary to focus on the push factors because the study is a country-specific study, with special attention to factors that trigger migration out of Nigeria. Push factors that have been identified from the literature include increased unemployment, mortality rate, population density, poor educational facilities, among others (Dodani and LaPorte, 2005;Mohamed and Abdul-Talib, 2020;Okoro et al, 2014;Shafique, 2017). However, due to data paucity, our study adopts push factors such as infant mortality rate, life expectancy, population growth rate and unemployment rate obtained from the United Nation's World Population Prospects between 1990 and 2019, as displayed in Table 1.…”

“…Some of the economic factors are lack of employment opportunities and difficulty using skills possessed in the home country. The psychological push -factors identified by Mohamed and Abdul-Talib (2020) are family reunion and altruism. Lastly, situational push factors are identified from the perspective of the host country.…”