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FS 3.221

Impacts of immigration and outmigration in Rural Europe and Global South

Details

Full Title
FS 3.221: Impacts of in- and out-migration in rural and mountainous areas of Europe and the Global South
Scheduled
TBA
Location
TBA
Convener
Marika Gruber
Co-Conveners
Saurav Kumar,
Assigned to Synthesis Workshop
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Thematic Focus
Migration, Mobility, Policy
Keywords
Migration, Europe, Himalaya, Alpine region, Rural areas

Description

Migration significantly changes both the countries of immigration and the countries of emigration. Emigration regions, which are mostly located in rural, mountainous and peripheral regions, are often characterised by a weak economic situation, poor infrastructure, poorly developed public transport and low population density. In turn, emigration contributes to a further thinning out of the existing infrastructure or social and cultural life, which leads to further emigration (often of the young, educated and upwardly mobile population, especially young women). This sets off a negative spiral. Immigration usually takes place to larger cities that are already home to many immigrants and whose ‘super divesity’ (Steven Vertovec 2024) continues to grow. The cities are characterised not only by a diversity of ethnicities, languages, cultures and religions, but also by challenges. However, rural regions are also experiencing increased international immigration. Although they are not “immigration magnets” like cities, immigration helps them e.g. to mitigate the declining birth rates and labour shortages that are prevalent in European countries. The aim of this focus session is to discuss the various social, economic, ecological or climate impacts of immigration and out-migration in rural, mountainous or peripheral regions of Europe as well as of the Global South, with a special focus on Alpine and the Himalaya region.

Submitted Abstracts

ID: 3.7651

Understanding Rural Out-Migration in the Indian Himalayan Region: A Comparative Analysis of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh

Saurav Kumar

Abstract/Description

Rural out-migration is a common phenomenon in mountainous regions of the world, often leading to depopulation and various socio-economic challenges. In the Indian Himalayan Region, the state of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh exhibit a contrasting pattern of rural out-migration despite having similar geographical and climatic conditions. On the one hand, Uttarakhand has experienced large-scale permanent out-migration, resulting in many ghost villages, on the other hand Himachal Pradesh has just experienced temporary out-migration with limited negative impacts. The study investigates the key drivers behind these differences, focusing on policy frameworks, governance structures, resource accessibility, and socio-cultural attitudes of people toward migration. A mixed-methods approach was employed to conduct the study. Both quantitative and qualitative data were used. The data were collected from household surveys and government reports. The quantitative data were complemented by qualitative insights from focus group discussions and in-depth interviews. The comparative analysis of the both states revealed that differences in local governance, economic structure and opportunities, and state policies significantly influence migration patterns in both the states. The findings of the study contribute to the existing migration literature and provide evidence-based recommendations for policymakers to mitigate the adverse impacts of migration while leveraging migration for sustainable mountain development in the region. Besides, this research offers critical insights into addressing one of the most pressing challenges in the mountainous regions of the world.

ID: 3.8039

Impacts of internal and external migration in rural and hillside areas of the Itajaí Valley, Brazil, and resilience strategies in the face of environmental disasters

Luiza Oechsler

Abstract/Description

I am a master’s student in the Regional Development program at the Regional University of Blumenau and a researcher in the project Scalar Challenges of Water Governance in Hydrosocial Territories of Brazil in the Context of Climate Change: A Comparative Study with Mexico, Portugal, and England. The Itajaí Valley, located in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil, is home to a population of 2,096,406 and features a geography marked by river valleys and hillside areas, where urban and rural settlements intertwine. The region’s economy is driven by industrial production and agricultural activities, attracting both internal and external migration flows. Cities such as Blumenau, Brusque, and Itajaí have a historical record of receiving migrants, both internal—mainly from northeastern Brazil—and external, with significant contingents of Haitian, Venezuelan, and Senegalese migrants. Hillside areas and rural peripheries of these cities have been increasingly occupied by migrant populations living in vulnerable conditions. According to the 2022 Census, 2.68% of Blumenau’s population lived in rural areas, while this percentage was 1.73% in Brusque and 3.20% in Itajaí (IBGE, Demographic Census, 2022). These communities often reside in risk-prone areas, exposed to floods and landslides. Between 2000 and 2023, the Itajaí Valley recorded more than 281 floods, affecting approximately 207,000 people and leaving 21,600 homeless. In the same period, 146 landslides occurred in the state, impacting 245,354 people and displacing 2,417 (Ministry of Regional Development, Digital Atlas, 2000-2023). In 2022 alone, floods and landslides affected 55,000 people in Blumenau, 35,000 in Brusque, and 179,000 in Itajaí. This research investigates how migrant communities in the Itajaí Valley experience these extreme climate events, analyzing their socioeconomic vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies. Preliminary results indicate that while informal support networks and community initiatives play a crucial role in building resilience, government policies often fail to address migrants’ needs in disaster response frameworks. Thus, this study contributes to a broader understanding of migration, disaster resilience, and regional development in territories vulnerable to climate change, drawing parallels with rural and mountainous areas in Europe and the Global South.

ID: 3.9546

Migration and Political Participation in the Susa Valley: Challenges and Opportunities for Inclusion

Giorgia Zogu

Abstract/Description

The Susa Valley, a historically significant transit corridor in the Western Alps, has become a key site for migration dynamics in rural and mountainous Europe. While much attention has been given to border enforcement and humanitarian responses, less is known about the long-term integration of migrants into the valley’s socio-political fabric. This paper explores the challenges and opportunities for migrant inclusion in local governance and community life, analyzing how grassroots initiatives, institutional responses, and translocal networks shape political participation and social cohesion. Based on qualitative fieldwork, the research highlights both structural barriers—such as limited access to formal political channels and socio-economic precarity—and the agency of migrants in forging alternative forms of civic engagement. By situating the Susa Valley within broader debates on migration in peripheral regions, this study offers insights into how rural and mountainous areas can move beyond narratives of crisis toward more inclusive governance models.

ID: 3.10973

Key emerging and escalating issues raised by rural depopulation in the Himalaya

Karuna Budhathoki
Webb, Edward L.; Schmidt-Vogt, Dietrich; Bhattarai, Bhola; Dhyani, Shalini; Gautam, Ambika; Guragain, Binita; Gurung, Dibya; Katel, Om; Khaling, Sarala; Marquardt, Kristina; Mueller-Boeker, Ulrike; Nautiyal, Himani; Ojha, Roshan Babu; Oldekop, Johan A.; Pasakhala, Binaya; Poudyal, Bishnu Hari; Ranabhat, Sunita; Rigg, Jonathan; Shahabuddin, Ghazala; Shrestha, Bharat Babu; Shrestha, Uttam Babu; Subedi, Yuba Raj; Thadani, Rajesh; Thieme, Susan; Verma, Akash; Wangdi, Norbu

Abstract/Description

The Himalayan region is experiencing mass rural exodus, a phenomenon ubiquitous to mountain environments. While the bio-geographic, socio-economic, aspirational, and sometimes cultural or political drivers of rural depopulation are similar across mountain environments, the consequences are rather variable, owing to temporality of global development, the nuances in spatial characteristics, and the drivers themselves. As the impacts of climate change, globalization, geopolitics, and changing human aspirations synergize, the outcomes of this increasing rural exodus with agrarian shifts and forest transitions become more complex. Here we employ horizon scanning to identify key emerging issues raised by rural depopulation in the Himalaya in the next 10–15 years. An experts’ group of 34 participants were involved in an iterative and consensus-based approach to identify 22 key opportunities and challenges including issues likely to escalate such as gender and generational shift, abandonment of agro-pastoral land, and increasing human-wildlife interactions, and emerging issues such as potential for land appropriation, prospects of high-value niche-based farming, and resurgence of private forestry enterprises. The issues were discussed in four themes: socioeconomic and demographic shifts, land use land cover change, biodiversity and ecosystem services, and political economy of natural resources. We then took a systems thinking approach to illustrate interlinkages among the identified issues in a causal network, depicting their multi-directional and non-linear interactions. The causal network presents how, even in a bounded system, various processes from different thematic areas may facilitate or hinder further depopulation of rural areas. Hence, the governance of the Himalayan environment; the development of its people and preservation of its biodiversity, would require a transdisciplinary approach across fields, institutions, and governments. We highlight the need for land use planning at local governmental scales while considering national and regional perspectives through intergovernmental cooperation across the Himalaya as one of the necessities.

ID: 3.11859

Integrating migration into local governments’ plans and policies in mountainous Nepal

Chiranjivi Baral

Abstract/Description

Chiranjivi Baral (1); Ganesh Gurung (1); Amina Maharjan (2); Binaya Pasakhala (2)

(1) Nepal Institute of Development Studies, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu, 44600; (2) International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal, 44700

Abstract:

Migration has become a common phenomenon in Nepal. With the new Constitution establishing three tiers of the governance system – federal, provincial and local governance, the Local Government Operation Act 2017 has given the local government a mandate to manage migration. However, there is limited research on the local governments’ perceptions on migration and their initiatives on integrating migration into local policies and plans. This paper explores how local governments understand, address and incorporate migration into their governance system, uncovers the challenges faced by the local governments in addressing migration and strategies they have employed to manage migration. Using a qualitative approach, the paper employs instrumental case study of Indrawati Rural Municipality, a municipality in the mountainous region of Nepal that has experienced high internal migration in the past one decade. The information is generated through semi-structure interviews with the local government officials of the municipality, combined with the analysis of the documents related to policies and plans. The research contributes to the local government’s efforts to better implement the Local Government Operation Act 2017 and other municipalities in the similar context, particularly when it comes to integration of migration into local policies and plans. It also supports the local governments to maximize the benefits of migration for the development in their municipalities. Preliminary findings indicate that migration is a debatable issue in the municipality. Limitation of knowledge and resources, weak political will, insufficient data, physical infrastructure as a key priority are among the challenges that have hindered the integration of migration into local policies and plans, thereby limiting the capacity of local levels to take benefits of migration. In addition, the municipality is focusing on livelihood support to prevent youth from migrating.

ID: 3.14056

Immigrant entrepreneurs in mountain regions: the case of the Aosta Valley, in Italy.

Dario Antonino Musolino
Spoto, Michela

Abstract/Description

This paper focuses on immigrant entrepreneurship in in the Aosta Valley, an Alpine region in northern Italy. It aims to investigate their experience as entrepreneurs in this remote mountainous region, analysing whether they successfully develop their business, whether they integrate into the local community, and thus contribute to the socio-economic development of such a mountainous region. In addition, it tries to analyse which (location) factors attract (or not attract) immigrant entrepreneurs in this type of regions.
The paper follows a mixed approach, quantitative and qualitative. The key characteristics of immigrant entrepreneurship in Aosta valley (e.g. sectoral specialization, nationality, etc.) are quantitatively analysed using the main official statistics available at the local level. From a qualitative point of view, we analyse the findings coming from a field investigation based on a set of case-studies of immigrant entrepreneurs from different countries, and working in different sectors.
The outcomes show that immigrants make a a positive contribution to the development of remote mountain regions like the Aosta valley, as they bring new entrepreneurial energies in many sectors. Regional and local development policies should target more and support more immigrant entrepreneurship.

ID: 4.0000

New Perspectives for Rural Areas: Economic Impacts of International Migration and Workplace Integration in Rural Carinthia (Austria)

Marika Gruber

Abstract/Description

Migration is an increasing phenomenon worldwide, fueled by globalization, faster communication and transport possibilities, political and armed conflicts, as well as climate changes. Increasingly, rural areas are also the target of (international) migration. In political and medial discourses, immigration is often associated with multiple challenges, such as a lower labour market participation among immigrants, difficulties with school integration due to a lack of language skills of the host country, and last but not least, international immigration is increasingly seen as a security risk for the places of immigration.

However, immigration also represents an opportunity for rural areas, e.g., in terms of population development, as well as regional and economic development, as many European rural areas face population decline, associated with labour shortages and a dismantling of the local and regional infrastructure.

This paper analyses on a macro-level the contributions and economic impacts that international (third-country) immigration can make to the economic development of a rural region and investigates on a micro-level the challenges and solutions of company onboarding from the perspective of companies and immigrant employees.

FS 3.220: Fostering sustainable and equitable food systems through agroecology: Opportunities and challenges for mountain regions

FS 3.222: Energy transitions and their impacts in mountain areas

#IMC: September 14 - 18 2025

FS 3.221

Impacts of immigration and outmigration in Rural Europe and Global South

Details

Full Title

Scheduled

Location

Convener

Co-Conveners

Assigned to Synthesis Workshop

Thematic Focus

Keywords

Description

Submitted Abstracts

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

Abstract/Description

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