International migration

The study of international migration is one of the research orientations relatively recently added to the activity of The Research Institute for Quality of Life. Its development is related to the way phenomenon has evolved in Romania, now the main origin country for intra-EU mobility. Even though initially developed exclusively in connection with emigration, the research program has been extended to include both components of the phenomenon: emigration and immigration.

The program aims to support the development of sociology of migration, to stimulate the investigation and the theoretical developments related to migration as a phenomenon in origin area (in the case of emigration), to encourage the gathering of information related to migration (in both of its components, emigration and immigration), to offer support to the Romanian authorities in registering, centralizing and disseminating information from administrative sources.

The major investigation areas RIQL promotes in this field are: the analysis of migration policies in origin area, the analysis of remittances (especially social remittances), the investigation of the attitudes towards emigration and immigration in Romania and comparatively at international level.

In investigating international migration, RIQL promotes the use of quantitative as well as qualitative research methods, most of the analyses being based on multiple data sources: administrative data, survey data, and community studies.

The most recent research project RIQL has developed in the area Social change under the impact of international migration: value patterns, civic and political participation, life satisfaction, a CNCS-UEFISCDI grant, coordinated by Dr. Bogdan Voicu.

Coordinators: Dr. Bogdan Voicu and dr. Monica Şerban

Selected publications:

Şerban, Monica and Daria Lăzărescu. “Romania”. InEuropean Migration: A sourcebook.  Second Edition, edited by A. Triandafyllidou and R. Gropas, 301-312. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2014.

Şerban, Monica. International migration dynamics: an exercise on Romanian migration to Spain. Iaşi: Lumen, 2011.

Voicu, Bogdan and Monica Şerban. “Immigrant involvement in voluntary associations.”Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies38 (10) (2012): 1569-1587.

Voicu, Bogdan, Monica Şerban, Alexandra Deliu and Elena Tudor. “Acquiescence effects in measuring attitudes towards immigrants: The case of Romania.”Calitatea Vieţii3(2013): 311-340.