Doctoral Dissertation Research: Emigration of Young Professionals in Polish Cities

2007年5月，波兰和其他七个欧洲国家加入欧盟，并获得了自由进入欧盟几个国家劳动力市场的权利。 因此，约有70万人离开波兰到联合王国寻找工作。 本博士论文研究项目将探讨城市生活质量和当地劳动力市场的特点如何塑造移民动机，以及男性和女性对移民的不同评价，以及技术专业人员的移民如何影响波兰的城市经济。 在该项目的第一部分，博士生将调查在波兰城市的特点是什么动机年轻，受过教育的专业人士移民。 目前大多数涉及移民动机的研究都集中在个人经济原因或国家一级经济发展的差异上，但在本项目中，学生将特别关注鼓励年轻人移民的城市因素。 她还将调查移民动机的性别差异。 该项目的第二部分将侧重于年轻专业人员的移民如何影响波兰部分城市的经济和社会凝聚力。 与移民的半结构化访谈和焦点小组讨论将提供有关城市环境如何激励男性和女性移民到英国的信息。 将通过对波兰市政府的主要信息提供者的访谈和对波兰选定城市的公司的调查来调查移民对原籍城市的影响。拟议的研究将增加对欧洲劳动力市场正在进行的一体化的了解。 由于一些国家已立法鼓励专业人员移徙，青年专业人员在整个欧洲联盟的流动性正在增加。 这项研究将提供新的见解，说明造成这种移徙的城市一级的原因以及移徙对输出国城市的后果。 世界各地的城市都在争夺熟练劳动力，因此城市领导者需要了解城市环境的负面特征是如何鼓励熟练公民移民的。 了解移民的原因将为使城市对有技能、受过教育的专业人员更具吸引力提供指导。 这项研究还将探讨文献中关于城市环境中的性别经历及其对男子和妇女移徙决定的影响的空白。 作为博士论文研究改进奖，该奖项还将提供支持，使有前途的学生建立一个强大的独立的研究生涯。

In May 2007 Poland and seven other European countries joined the European Union and gained free access to the labor market in several EU countries. As a result, about 700,000 people have left Poland to look for jobs in the United Kingdom. This doctoral dissertation research project will explore how urban quality of life and characteristics of the local labor market shape motivations to migrate and are differently evaluated by men and women and how the migration of skilled professionals affects urban economies in Poland. In the first part of the project, the doctoral candidate will investigate what characteristics of cities in Poland motivated young, educated professionals to emigrate. Most current research that deals with motivations for migration focuses either on individual economic reasons or on disparities in economic development on the national level, but in this project, the student will focus specifically on the urban-level factors that encourage young people to migrate. She also will investigate gender differences in migration motivations. The second part of the project will focus on how the emigration of young professionals has affected the economy and social cohesion of select Polish cities. Semi-structured interviews and focus-group discussions with migrants will provide information about how the urban environment motivates men and women to migrate to the UK. The impact of emigration on the cities of origin will be investigated through interviews with key-informants in Polish municipal governments and through a survey of companies in the selected Polish cities.The proposed research will increase understanding about the ongoing integration of European labor markets. Because several countries have legislated incentives for professional migration, the mobility of young professionals is increasing across the European Union. This study will provide new insights regarding the urban-level causes that underlie this migration and the consequences of migration for cities in the sending countries. Cities all around the world are competing for skilled labor, so urban leaders need to understand how the negative characteristics of urban environments encourage emigration of skilled citizens. Understanding the causes of emigration will provide guidelines for making cities more attractive for skilled, educated professionals. The study also will address gaps in the literature with regard to the gendered experience of the urban environment and its impact on men's and women's migration decisions. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.