Migration Networks and Migration Decision-Making

TLDR

Social networks generate location‑specific social capital that shapes migration, a concept examined through rational choice and economic sociology and investigated in prior empirical studies. The article investigates how this social capital influences migration decisions and chain migration by integrating sociological and economic perspectives. It illustrates the mechanisms through two empirical studies—Bulgarian migration intentions from the 2001 census and return migration of Italian migrants in Germany using the German Socio‑Economic Panel. The findings show that destination‑side social capital increases emigration intentions and return migration, whereas origin‑side social capital decreases return migration.

Abstract

Drawing on the rational choice approach and the economic sociology of migration, this article discusses the role of social networks in terms of location-specific social capital. It discusses relations between sociological and economic aspects of migration and outlines the influence of social capital on migration decision-making and chain migration processes. There have been various attempts to measure these effects through empirical migration research, and this article focuses on two such studies. The first example concerns an investigation of migration intentions among Bulgarians in the 2001 Bulgarian census. The second is return migration in the household context of Italian migrants in Germany, based on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel. The main finding is that social capital at the place of destination has positive impacts on emigration intentions and return migration, whereas social capital at the place of residence has negative impacts on return migration.