Conference Agenda

Over the past decade, Croatia has transitioned from being predominantly an emigration country to a country of positive net migration, with significant increases in immigration in 2022 and 2023. The number of immigrants in 2023 nearly doubled compared to 2020 and 2021. This influx of migrant workers, particularly from South and South-East Asia, is helping to alleviate the country’s labour market shortages, gradually replacing migrant workers from neighbouring countries and introducing greater cultural diversity into what was ethnically once a relatively homogeneous society.

Drawing on the basic concepts of R. Penninx’s migrant integration model – specifically the socio-economic dimension of integration, this paper aims to analyse integration challenges of foreign workers coming to Croatia. Their integration experiences are related to socio-culturally relevant indicators of objective dimensions of the quality of life with a special focus on residential integration and actual living conditions linked to the material situation i.e. jobs, housing and income of migrant workers in Croatia (Coates et al, 2013).

The study employs qualitative semi-structured interviews with a range of stakeholders, including representatives of the state and public administration, employers, employment agencies, professional associations, trade unions, and migrant workers themselves, as part of the ongoing project Croatia as an Immigration Country: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives.

Preliminary findings highlight several significant challenges in the employment process, especially for third-country nationals. Key issues include lack of supervision over employers and agencies for employment of foreign workers related to accommodation, antagonisms with domestic workers due to their perception of better working conditions for foreign workers, workplace discrimination, economic issues and constraints of foreign workers etc. Residential conditions for foreign workers vary widely, ranging from organised, paid collective accommodation to individual housing arrangements, with some workers experiencing satisfactory living conditions and others facing more deficient circumstances. These challenges can be largely attributed to Croatia’s underdeveloped migration and integration policies, and are explored in further detail within the paper.

Reference:

Coates, D., Anand, P., & Norris, M. (2013). Housing and Quality of Life for Migrant Communities in Western Europe: A Capabilities Approach. Journal on Migration and Human Security, 1(4), 163-209. https://doi.org/10.1177/233150241300100403

Our research group has been working on Swedish social dynamics for several years and has also conducted surveys among Hungarians living in Sweden. Our results show that a significant proportion of Hungarians in Sweden have a very negative view of the social conditions there. This negative perception is reinforced by the Hungarian government's narrative that Sweden has become a dangerous, disintegrated society. Meanwhile, it should be noted that the available survey data do not confirm these perceptions and opinions, but show that social cohesion in Sweden is high by European comparison. Thus, according to the various dimensions of social capital, Swedish society is not in a bad shape at all, and in fact has a high level of trust, strong social relations and, basically, collective values of cooperation prevail. Compared with Hungary, the “culture of trust” is less favourable, personal interactions are less frequent and less deep, and self-oriented values that threaten the harmonious functioning of society are more strongly present.

Our research aims to explore and understand this seemingly contradictory situation in more depth. One possible explanation is that the widespread legitimisation of the negative image of Sweden portrayed by the domestic government narrative, and the discomfort felt by some Hungarians in Sweden, is linked to the negative characteristics of Hungarian social culture mentioned above. This is because a high level of collective social capital, a "culture of trust", has a wide range of positive individual consequences, and vice versa, while a low level of social capital, a "culture of distrust", inhibits individual fulfilment, increases anxiety and limits coping skills, among other things. We can assume that Hungarians settled in Sweden, coming from a “culture of distrust”, find it much more difficult to cope with new and unfamiliar challenges and have a more negative perception of the social problems that Sweden undoubtedly faces than the Swedes themselves. We can suggest that this difference may be due to the fact that Swedes are more able to rely on their own supportive social culture in times of collective challenges in difficult situations. In this presentation, we will try to find answers to these questions in relation to the closely related issue of well-being.

• The emigration of educated individuals from Iran has become a prominent and multifaceted issue in recent years, eliciting diverse perspectives. Statistical analysis reveals a substantial surge in the number of Iranian students electing Germany as their preferred destination for higher education. Notably, the count of Iranian students studying in Germany has witnessed a more than threefold increase, soaring from 4,182 students in 2008 to 15,200 in 2024. Moreover, the student population has nearly tripled from 4,182 in 2008 to 11,573 in 2021, signifying a 45% surge compared to the preceding year. This prompts an inquiry into the factors underpinning Iranian students' preference for Germany. To delve into this phenomenon, a survey was conducted among Iranians residing in Germany. The survey outcomes reveal that the deteriorating living conditions in Iran, coupled with Germany's political stability and robust social welfare system, have played pivotal roles in motivating students and university graduates to pursue education abroad. Educational advancement emerges as a secondary consideration in their decision-making process.

Driven by globalization, as observed in other European countries, the last decade has witnessed a significant student migration in Latvia. This phenomenon has created an opportunity for Latvian higher education institutions to compete on an international scale by attracting an increasing number of international students especially for young people from Asian countries who want to obtain higher education in the European Union. As a result, the number of international students has more than doubled over the ten-year period, now constituting 14% of the total student population.

In recent years, students as a research object have gained prominence also in the social sciences and geography, as researchers seek to better understand the phenomenon of studentification and the role of students in shaping urban spaces (Murzyn-Kupisz, Szmytkowska 2015; Fabula et at. 2017; Revington 2018). The study of international students has also become a topical issue among geographers (e.g., Apsite-Berina et al., 2023).

In order to encourage international students to contribute to the economy, their successful integration into the local community is essential. This process requires the local community to be receptive and facilitate the integration of international students into the labor market. Existing research in Latvia has concentrated predominantly on societal attitudes towards immigrants as a whole (Kaprāns, Saulītis, Mieriņa 2021). Yet, to date, there has been a dearth of research examining local community attitudes towards students as a distinct social cohort, differentiated from other immigrant groups. Therefore, this study aims to determine local community attitudes towards international students and assess the level of acceptance towards this immigrant group.

To achieve this aim, a survey of the general public on social cohesion will be conducted between the winter of 2024 and the spring of 2025, supported by the State Research Programme of Latvia. The survey will explore whether the public believes that international students contribute positively to the local environment, safety, and economy. Furthermore, the survey will examine public opinion on the desirability of retaining international students in the local economy post-graduation.