The nexus of motivation-experience in the migration process of young Romanians

This paper presents and explains the migration motivations and behaviour of young (age 16-35years) Romanians. The originality of the paper lies in conceptualising the experiences and motivations of migration as a variable nexus during the migration process; that is, as a complex web of relations between motivations and types of migration experiences. A descriptive analysis introduces types of motivations for the first migration and for returning home. Dissatisfaction and opportunities in different spheres of life (job, education, family and friendship networks, and lifestyles) are the key variables explaining the dynamics within the nexus. This is contextualised by factors related to the individual, community, region, and country, in a multilevel perspective. The relationship between previous structures and the current migration motivations of Romanian youth are also addressed via a comparative European-level analysis. The first hypothesis, about the lifestyle motivations of Romanian students, is not supported by the data. The second hypothesis, about similarities between Romanian youth and youth from Latvia and Slovakia, is consistent with the findings. The third hypothesis, on the similarity between Romanian youth and the youth from countries of simultaneous emigration and immigration (Spain, Italy, and Ireland) is partially supported only in the case of Italy. The paper draws on both quantitative survey data and semistructured interviews.