Benefits of Migration as a Personal Strategy in Nazaré, Portugal

Abstract

"This article analyzes the causes, patterns and results of involvement in international wage labor migration for Nazare, a Portuguese fishing village and tourist resort. Some migrate permanently, others return to invest locally, and yet others only work abroad part of each year. Data indicate that international migration is a successful strategy for coping with a restrictive local opportunity structure. International migrants have more income, savings, capital goods, consumer goods and automobiles than non-migrants or those who only migrate within Portugal."