Immigration and Regional Competitiveness – Relevant Theories in the Migration Research and in the Regional Science

Abstract

International and interregional migrations, the geographic form of human mobility have a number of social, economic and political effects. These impacts can vary depending on the reference period, region or sector as well as on the goals and aspects of our interpretation. Another important question in connection with regional competitiveness is how decision makers act and react after perceiving migratory movements. Analysing the interference between immigration and regional development, we can rely on the well-known migration theories, however, a comparison of further models and concepts relating development and regional issues can be more useful for researchers. These questions are relevant, since the issues of the regional science, such as regional competitiveness and regional policy, have in the background strong associations with migratory phenomena. The aim of this study is to introduce the theoretical background, summarizing the mainstream solutions and the controversies as well. Thus the first part presents the role of the migration theories and these of the regional science in connection with the linkages between immigration and regional competitiveness. Besides it points out the importance of immigrants´ inclusion. The next section focuses, complemented with the outcomes of a multivariate statistical analysis, on the theories on determinants and causalities of migration, exploring the connecting points with the issues of the regional policy.

Keywords

• immigration
• regional development
• subsidiarity
• theories