Well-being, social capital and international migration. The case of the Latin American and Andean Spain

Abstract

This paper attempts to introduce the concept of Latin American and Andean Spain. In order to do this the author collects data about the massive migration between Latin America and the Andean region to Spain. Then, two theoretical perspectives are proposed as an explanation of this phenomenon: push and pull theory, linked to the concept of well-being, and social capital theory associated with the concept of migration network. In third place, it is analyzed some evidence from Colombia that supports the theoretical framework. Finally, contemporary return migration dynamics from Spain are discussed

Keywords

• international migration, well-being, social capital, return, Colombia, España