Turkish Return Migrants from Netherlands and Austria: Data Assessment Based on Expert Interviews

Hilal Arslan , Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies
Simay Özlü Diniz, Baskent University
Alanur Çavlin, Hacettepe University Institute of Population Studies
Ayse Abbasoglu Ozgoren, Hacettepe University
Sinan Türkyilmaz, Hacettepe University, Institute of Population Studies

Recent theories focus on return migration from a mobility perspective to explain how individuals construct identities across geopolitical borders shaped by the relations between local and global powers. Among the reasons for return migration, the rise of right-wing politics in the EU and personal choices related to identity are commonly discussed in the literature. Against this background, our research aims to understand patterns of mobility for Turkish migrants, especially from the Netherlands and Austria, and its impact on regional development by focusing on both micro and macro-level reasons. Second-generation migrants represent an important aspect of regional development through their transnational ties and productive and reproductive assets. Their marriage patterns and child-related aspirations (fertility behavior as well as offspring’s education etc.) are influential in their mobility decisions. To gather data, our research utilized expert interviews with academics, bureaucrats, and the representatives of governmental and non-governmental institutions. Qualitative expert interview is a dialogic-discursive method that combines problem-centered interviews with expert knowledge to explore individual perspectives. The focus questions are intended to uncover the socioeconomic profiles of second-generation Turkish migrants, their networks, their mobility patterns (circular, mobile, permanent), and their contribution to local development. The expected result of this study is that the decisions of return migrants are influenced by investment and commercial opportunities, social benefits of the country, as well as marital parental, and educational reasons. These transnational ties and dual citizenship among young migrants are significant in understanding the regeneration of sustainable populations and well-being.

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 Presented in Session P3. Migration, Economics, Policies, History