New in-migration in the Alps

Duration: 2014–

Project head: Oliver Bender

Against the background of developments in the last 150 years even peripheral areas in the Alps record a trend shift from emigration to immigration. This new immigration must be seen in the context of various forms of spatial mobility, including moves without permanent change of residence.

We are particularly keen to find out: Who are the in-migrants? How do they contribute to demographic trends, what can they do for regional development? And what are the effects of this immigration on the population and settlement system as well as on the man-environment system.

The research is integrated into the work of the Alpine Convention and of ISCAR; the statistics offices of the Alpine states are involved as cooperation partners.

In a first step, the migration movements are analysed in quantitative terms by demographic and regional criteria (based on migration data bases from around 2000, when preparation started to change the census from interviews to register count). At the same time qualitative investigations will be carried out in selected municipalities with expert and migrant interviews.