Ulf Brunnbauer (Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies, Germany): Migration and the “Development” Conundrum in the Balkans. A Longue-durée Perspective
In the mid 1970s, when the possible accession of South European countries to the European Economic Community became a matter of debate, the British developmental economist Dudley Sears warned that “EEC membership might lock a country like this into dependence on exporting labour”. For the Balkan countries, this would become a prescient prediction. For the last decades, Bulgaria, Romania, and Croatia, and the non-EU members of the region as well have been experiencing a massive outflow of labour. This raises fear of depopulation, but also stimulates efforts to turn outmigration into a source of development. In my talk, I will approach the (questionable) link between emigration and development from a longue-durée perspective, highlighting continuities in migration patterns and their political framing. Already early 20th century policy makers in the Balkans thought to regulate emigration in the name of state development. I will highlight linkages between emigration and immigration policies as parts of social engineering efforts. Yet, the question remains: why did a century of mass migration from the region not lead to income convergence with Western Europe? The bigger issue, thus, is: what do these migrations tell us about inequality in Europe?
Conference website: [ Ссылка ]
