Building or Burning the Bridges? The Determinants of Return Migration Intentions of German-Turk Generations
Building or Burning the Bridges? The Determinants of Return Migration Intentions of German-Turk Generations

Author(s): Tolga Tezcan
Subject(s): Geography, Regional studies, Sociology, Labor relations, Evaluation research, Migration Studies, Socio-Economic Research
Published by: Transnational Press London
Keywords: Germany; guest workers; return migration intentions; Turkey;
Summary/Abstract: What drives German-Turks to return to Turkey? This study attempts to answer this question by investigating the determinants of return migration intention among German-Turks. While German-Turks, invited to work in the booming post-war economy, have always been defined as “guest workers” and expected to return to Turkey eventually, they have preferred to stay in Germany, enjoy increased wealth by earning high wages, and benefits from the German welfare system. But things have changed since 2006, and the net migration number of Turks has now fallen to below zero for the first time. This study aims to identify the factors that influence the multifaceted issue of return migration intentions. I use the most recent “Migration Sample (M1)” of the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), which includes 463 respondents who have a Turkish background, to estimate logistic regressions models for return intentions. This study focuses on testing the effects of four domains: (1) economic integration, (2) social and economic ties with Turkey, (3) discrimination, xenophobia, and multiple identities, and (4) generational status. The results indicate that all these domains make a contribution to return decisions.

• Details
• Contents