Conference Agenda

Increasingly, studies and projects declare areas of different scales as “left-behind“, ranging from neighbourhood to whole countries, while often neglecting the perspective of local population. Instead of setting container spaces and measuring aspects such as (im)mobility and migration inside these containers, we plea for an actual place-based perspective, which first examines the perspective of local population on their place of living, and its development, and only then measures their perceived “left-behindness“ and its influence on their (im)mobility aspirations.
Based on a mixed methods approach that combines data from the Re-Place survey and qualitative interviews, we analyse the impact of “left-behindness“ on the intention to stay. Our understanding of “left-behindness” goes beyond a mere statistical categorization but rather includes the perception of development on the local (municipality) level through the eyes of their inhabitants.We therefore developed an index which measures perceived local development. By employing regression analysis, we show the extent of self-perceived “left-behindness“ on a personal expectation to stay. To expand our research, we conducted in-depth interviews with the local population in a German municipality containing different (im)mobility groups. The perspectives of permanent/long-term stayers, returnees, as well as internal and international immigrants were analysed with qualitative content analysis. They revealed how one´s own perception of municipality development impacts future aspirations to stay.
This paper argues for a more sensitive implementation of the “left-behind” places concept in academic research by highlighting the importance of a people-centred place-based approach. It brings differentiation to the discussion about (im)mobility in “left-behind“ places by focusing on people as agents and not only seeing them as involuntary stayers.

The paper examines feelings of place attachment among immigrants and returnees in several European countries. We ask what kind of influences international mobility has on levels of place attachment. While leaving can disrupt the bonds of place attachment, returning can reinforce them, potentially leading to returnees having a stronger sense of place attachment compared to natives with no mobility experiences. On the other hand, some returnees might find that they no longer feel at home after return. We ask whether living in a new country is systematically linked with weaker levels of place attachment and whether return does indeed reinforce and strengthen individuals’ bonds to their places of origin. We also explore how a large array of other important determinants of place attachment, e.g., socio-economic status, employment, social capital, duration and movements in and out of the locality, locality characteristics and individuals’ perceptions about the locality moderate and mediate the relationship between migration status and place attachment. In developing and interpreting our model results, we rely on several theoretical frameworks, such as place identity, social capital, social integration, and transnationalism.

We explore these questions using data from the 2024 Re-Place survey, a survey on nationally representative online panels for Germany, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, and Spain. The survey also included oversamples of returnees and immigrants, allowing for more in-depth analyses and conclusions regarding these groups and comparisons with natives with no international migration experience.

We pay particular attention to the construction of a cross-nationally comparable, multi-dimensional measure of place attachment, by employing a confirmatory factor analysis approach and tests of cross-national measurement invariance. We then construct a series of regression models adding blocks of predictors in a sequential order (hierarchical regressions) aimed at disentangling the role of other predictors in explaining the relationship between mobility status and place attachment.

The investigation of migration aspirations has a long tradition in migration studies, but the topic has benefited from a substantial increase in attention during the last decade. This is connected with the rise in interest in predicting international flows as well as with finding out more about the determinants of migration. The recent increase in interest for aspirations to internationally migrate is paralleled in migration studies by the interest in immobility. Immobility is more and more conceptualized not only as the reference for mobility (rather the result of difficulties or lack of resources to migrate), but also as a voluntary choice.

Starting from these recent developments, we formulated our research questions: what are the determinants of the preferences for international migration or stay (understood here as non-international migration)? How does the previous own experience with international migration (i.e. being a non-international migrant; an immigrant or a returnee) impact these preferences?

We explore these questions using data from the 2024 Re-Place survey, a survey on nationally representative online samples for Germany, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, and Spain. The survey also included oversamples of returnees and immigrants, allowing for more in-depth analyses and conclusions regarding these groups and comparisons with natives with no international migration experience.

Our preliminary results, based on multiple regressions models, show that immigrants and returnees are more likely to express preferences for residence in another country, compared to natives, with immigrants being more likely than returnees to prefer to move.

Even after controlling for relevant socio-demographic characteristics, the presence of relatives abroad is a factor that increases the likelihood of expressing preferences for future international mobility.

In accordance with the previous studies, our analyses indicate well-being and place attachment as a pair of factors that lower the probability of a future international move. The same pair of factors (well-being and place attachment) play an important role in the decision to not internationally migrate, with place attachment playing a more important role.

Left-behind regions in Europe are often characterized as areas from which people — particularly the younger population — tend to migrate, primarily due to limited employment opportunities, especially in advanced sectors. These regions face challenges of progressive depopulation driven by out-migration and aging populations. To date, regional development policies have struggled to reverse these trends. However, emerging “weak signals” suggest the possibility of alternative futures for such areas.
This paper adopts a theoretical framework centred on human mobility and explores diverse mobility patterns to identify and interpret these “weak signals.” We conduct a comparative analysis of 12 case studies across six EU countries (Germany, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, and Spain), leveraging insights from key stakeholders, including representatives of institutions, businesses, and local communities. Our study examines the local factors influencing individuals' decisions to stay, move, or return, with a focus on dynamics that extend beyond purely economic considerations. By doing so, we aim to classify left-behind areas based on varying types of (im)mobilities.
The findings presented in this paper stem from preliminary results of research conducted as part of the Horizon Europe Re-Place project (https://replace-horizon.eu/).