Migration Letters

Issn: 17418984

EIssn: 17418992

Volume: 5

Issue: 1

Publication date: 1/4/08

Publication Year: 2008

Article Title: Migration to Germany: Is a middle class emerging among intra-European migrants?

Author: Roland Verwiebe, University Hamburg, Institute of Sociology, Social Science Research Methods, Allende-Platz 1, 20146 Hamburg, Germany.

First page: 1

Last page: 19

Abstract: This article analyses intra-European migration on the basisof primary data gathered in Berlin in 2002 and 2003. Thetheoretical foundation of the contribution is mainly based onnewer migration research and research on Europeanisation.The empirical results of the study show that the individualpatterns of migration within Europe vary quite strongly. Itcan be hypothesized that inner-European migrants increasinglycome from diverse social classes and possess educationand work experience in varying degrees. Recent Europeanmigration seems to be, above all, a middle-class phenomenon.

Key words: intra-European migration ; class ; Germany

Article Title: Party preferences and political participation: the emergence of the Turkish-origin German voter

Author: Vera Eccarius-Kelly, Political Science Department, Siena College, SH 425, Loudonville, NY 12211, New York, USA.

First page: 21

Last page: 40

Abstract: The article examines trends in voting preferences and votingbehavior of Turkish-origin German voters. Despite only representinga small percentage of the total German electorate,Turkish-origin voters are gaining an opportunity to shapethe future political landscape. While the Social Democratshave benefited most directly from the minority constituencyso far, this author suggests that the Green Party is poised toattract the younger, better educated, and German-born segmentof the Turkish-origin voters. All other dominant nationalparties have ignored this emerging voting bloc, andmissed opportunities to appeal to Turkish-origin voters bydisregarding community-specific interests.

Key words Muslim immigrants ; integration ; Turkish-origin German voters ; naturalization ; minority voting preferences       

Article Title: Yearly quotas and country-reserved shares in Italian immigration policy

Author: Paolo Cuttitta, Università degli Studi di Palermo, Dipartimento studi su Politica, Diritto e Società, Piazza Bologni, 8, 90134 Palermo, Italy.

First page: 41

Last page: 51

Abstract: Regular immigration to Italy is based on a quota system settingannual ceilings to legal entries. Reserved shares aregranted to single countries or categories of countries. Reserved shares have been increased; they are used as an incentiveto obtain the cooperation of countries of origin instemming irregular migration flows. The total quota of regularimmigration has gradually increased too. Still, it does notfully respond to the growing demand of foreign workers onthe labour market, and quotas seem to be used as cryptoregularisationsrather than as an instrument for regulatinglegal entries.

Key words Italy ; legal immigration ; entry quotas ; reserved shares ; regularisation

Article Title: Entrepreneurship as Social Status: Turkish Immigrants’ Experiences of Self-Employment in Finland

Author: Östen Wahlbeck, Department of Sociology, Åbo Akademi University, FI-20500 Åbo, Finland.

First page: 53

Last page: 62

Abstract: The article discusses the experiences of self-employmentamong immigrants from Turkey living in Finland. The immigrantsare mainly active in the restaurant and fast foodsector in Finland, primarily in small kebap and pizza businesses.The article argues that both economic and social aspectsexplain the experiences of self-employment. Despiteeconomic hardship, the freedom and social status connectedto entrepreneurship is highly valued. Self-employment providesa positive self-understanding and a good social status,which the immigrants from Turkey find it difficult to achieveby any other means in Finnish society.

Key words entrepreneurship ; self-employment ; Turkish immigrants ; Finland

Article Title: Cross-country Employment Propensity of Finnish Migrants: Evidence from Linked Register Data

Author: Jan Saarela, Åbo Akademi University, PO Box 311, FIN-65101 Vasa, Finland.  

Fjalar Finnäs, Åbo Akademi University, PO Box 311, FIN-65101 Vasa, Finland.

First page: 63

Last page: 77

Abstract: This paper explores how individual employment propensityinterrelates across countries and time, using data that linkpopulation registers from Sweden and Finland. Migrants areobserved before emigration, after emigration, and in a follow-up in cases both where they were still living in the hostcountry and if they had return migrated. The interrelation isfound to be strong, suggesting that migrants’ employmentproblems need not necessarily be due to failures in integrationpolicies or because of problems in assimilation inducedby migration as an event. They could also be explained bythe fact that many persons, in latent subgroups, have inherentlyelevated failure risks.

Key words employment propensity ; integration ; Finland ; Sweden

Article Title: The Impact of a Migration Shock on Tenant Satisfaction: The Case of Hurricane Katrina and Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Author: Russell N. James III, University of Georgia, Department of Housing & Consumer Economics, Athens, GA 30602, USA.

Velma Zahirovic-Herbert, University of Georgia, Department of Housing & Consumer Economics, Athens, GA 30602, USA.

First page: 79

Last page: 88

Abstract: The damage inflicted by Hurricane Katrina resulted in amassive displacement of residents, in particular from NewOrleans, Louisiana. Initially, many of these evacuees movedto Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the closest major town that escapedsignificant hurricane damage. Using comments postedon the United States’ largest consumer comment website forapartment residents, this study tracks the self-reported residentialsatisfaction of tenants in Baton Rouge before and afterthe massive migration of refugees from nearby coastal areas.Although this migration resulted in a dramatic drop inresidential satisfaction, within nine months satisfaction levelshad rebounded substantially.

Key words Hurricane Katrina ; residential satisfaction ; emergency migration.

Article Title: BOOK REVIEWS

Author: Heli Hyvönen, University of Helsinki, Finland.

Janusz Balicki, Cardinal S.Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Poland.

Arnold Reisman, Freelance author, Ohio, US.

Ibrahim Sirkeci, European Business School London, Regent’s College, UK.

First page: 89

Last page: 105

Abstract: Reviews of; Families Caring Across Borders, Migration, Ageing and TransnationalCaregiving by Baldassar, Loretta; Baldock Vellekoop Cora and Wilding Raelene, (2007) Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 259 pp.Contemporary Polish Migration in Europe, Complex Patterns of Movement and Settlement Edited by Anna Triandafyllidou, (2006) The Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston, New York, 319 pp.Turkey’s Modernization: Refugees from Nazism and Ataturk’s Vision Arnold Reisman (2006) New Academia Publishing, LLC.Innovative Concepts for Alternative Migration Policies: Ten Innovative Approaches to the Challenges of Migration in the 21st Century Edited by Michael Jandl, (2007) IMISCOE Reports, Amsterdam University Press, Amsterdam, 153 pp.The Europeanization of National Policies and Politics of Immigrationbetween Autonomy and the European Union edited by Thomas Faist and Andreas Ette (eds.) (2007), Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 270 pp.Immigration Under New Labour by Will Somerville (2007), the PolicyPress, Bristol, 232 pp.

Key words Families ; Polish migration ; Turkey's Modernisation ; Migration Policy ; Innovative concepts ; Europeanisation of migration policies ; Immigration ; New Labour