Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mapping Drivers of Arab Highly Skilled Self-Initiated Expatriation to Finland: Personal-Professional Life Pendulum

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Global Mobility of Highly Skilled People

Part of the book series: International Perspectives on Migration ((IPMI,volume 16))

Abstract

This paper investigates the migration process, specifically the drivers of migration, of highly skilled Arab expatriates in Finland. Migration behavior is examined as a process within the contexts that shape the individual’s personal circumstances before, during and after migration. The migrant’s aspirations may be reached through individual agency, motivations, and networks, external and unpredictable drives, or an interaction between these factors. Drawing on qualitative biographical data with 26 interviewees from this under-researched group, the study highlights the growing interest in micro-level analysis of the drivers, experiences and trajectories of highly skilled self-initiated expatriates (SIEs). Unlike other studies which focus on intra-company transfers from the economic theory perspective, in this chapter I attempt to capture the complex and fluid aspects of the process of highly skilled SIEs from a micro-individual perspective. The study explores the key dimension of expatriation as highly skilled migration. I first examine the complex and interacting migration drivers by exploring their migration trajectory, challenges and opportunities encountered over time. Second, I examine how these migrants negotiate the balance between career and personal-family life course, and how family considerations affect the decision-making process. Finally, I consider the extent to which these SIEs in a real-life context are migrants and represent an existing form of international skilled migration.

This chapter draws from the author’s doctoral dissertation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Ackers, L., & Gill, B. (2008). Moving people and knowledge. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ackers, L., & Stalford, H. (2004). A community for children? Children, citizenship and internal migration in the EU. London: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Al Ariss, A. (2010). Modes of engagements: Migration, self-initiated expatriation, and career development. Career Development International, 15, 338–358.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al Ariss, A., & Özbilgin, M. (2010). Understanding self-initiated expatriates: Career experiences of Lebanese self-initiated expatriates in France. Thunderbird International Business Review, 52(4), 275–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al Ariss, A., & Syed, J. (2011). Capital mobilization of skilled migrants: A relational perspective. British Journal of Management, 22(2), 286–304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Al Ariss, A., Vassilopoulou, J., Özbilgin, M., & Game, A. (2013). Understanding career experiences of skilled minority ethnic workers in France and Germany. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24(6), 1236–1256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alberts, H. (2017). Complex decisions: Factors determining international students’ migrations. In M. van Riemsdijk & Q. Wang (Eds.), Rethinking international skilled migration (pp. 36–53). Abingdon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bailey, A. (2009). Population geography: Life-course matters. Progress in Human Geography, 33(3), 407–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bakewell, O. (2010). Some reflections on structure and agency in migration theory. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 36(10), 1689–1708.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baláž, V., & Williams, A. M. (2004). “Been there, done that”: International student migration and human capital transfers from the UK to Slovakia. Population, Space and Place, 10, 217–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauder, H. (2005). Institutional capital and labour devaluation: The non-recognition of foreign credentials in Germany. Journal of Economics, 2(1), 75–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bauder, H. (2006). Labor movement: How migration regulates labor markets. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bauder, H. (2015). The international mobility of academics: A labour market perspective. International Migration, 53(1), 83–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauder, H. (2017). Themes, gaps and opportunities for rethinking international skilled migration. In M. van Riemsdijk & Q. Wang (Eds.), Rethinking international skilled migration (pp. 293–302). Abingdon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bauer, T., Gang, I., & Epstein, G. (2009). Measuring ethnic linkages among migrants. International Journal of Manpower, 30(1/2), 56–69.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beaverstock, J. (2005). Transnational elites in the city: British highly-skilled intercompany transferees in New York city’s financial district. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 31(2), 245–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beck, U., & Beck-Gernsheim, E. (2002). Individualization. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beech, S. E. (2015). International student mobility: The role of social networks. Social & Cultural Geography, 16(3), 332–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berry, J. (1997). Immigration, acculturation and adaptation. Applied Psychology, 46(1), 5–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhagwati, J. N., & Hamada, K. (1974). The brain drain, international integration of markets for professionals and unemployment: A theoretical analysis. Journal of Development Economics, 1(1), 19–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boneva, B. S., & Frieze, I. H. (2001). Toward a concept of a migrant personality. Journal of Social Issue, 57(3), 477–491.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. In J. G. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). New York: Greenwood.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1990a). The logic of practice. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Bourdieu, P. (1990b). In other words: Essays towards a reflexive sociology. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Boyd, M. (1989). Family and personal networks in international migration: Recent developments and new agendas. International Migration Review, 23(3), 638–670.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bright, J., Pryor, R., & Harpham, L. (2005). The role of chance events in career decision making. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 66(3), 561–576.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brodmann, S., Pouget, Y., & Gatti, R. (2010). Labour mobility in the Middle East and North Africa: Challenges and opportunities. MENA knowledge and learning: Quick notes series 30, World Bank. https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/10916. Accessed 15 Mar 2011.

  • Bushin, N. (2008). Researching family migration decision-making: A children-in-families approach. Population, Space and Place, 15(5), 429–443.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carling, J. (2002). Migration in the age of involuntary immobility: Theoretical reflections and Cape Verdean experiences. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 28(1), 5–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carling, J., & Collins, F. (2017). Aspiration, desire and drivers of migration. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 44(6), 909–926.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carling, J., & Schewel, K. (2017). Revisiting aspiration and ability in international migration. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 44(6), 945–963.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castles. (2004). The factors that make and unmake migration policies. International Migration Review, 38(3), 852–884.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castles, S., de Haas, H., & Miller, M. (2014). The age of migration: International population movements in the modern world (5th ed.). New York: Guilford Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Cerdin, J.-L., & Selmer, J. (2014). Who is a self-initiated expatriate? Towards conceptual clarity of a common notion. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 25(9), 1281–1301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cerna, L. (2014). Attracting high-skilled immigrants: Policies in comparative perspective. International Migration, 52(3), 69–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cerna, L. (2016). High-skilled immigration in context. In L. Cerna (Ed.), Immigration policies and the global competition for talent (pp. 3–25). London: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Chiswick, B. R., & Miller, P. W. (2009). The international transferability of immigrants’ human capital skills. Economics of Education Review, 28(2), 162–169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chudzikowski, K., & Mayrhofer, W. (2011). In search of the blue flower? Grand social theories and career research: The case of Bourdieu’s theory of practice. Human Relations, 64(1), 19–36.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cranston, S. (2014). Reflections on doing the expat show: Performing the global mobility industry. Environment and Planning A, 46(5), 1124–1138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Czaika, M. (2018). High-skilled migration: Introduction and synopsis. In M. Czaika (Ed.), High-skilled migration: Drivers and policies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Czaika, M., & Toma, S. (2017). International academic mobility across space and time: The case of Indian academics. Population, Space & Place, 23(8). https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.2069.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Czaika, M., & Vothknecht, M. (2014). Migration and aspirations – Are migrants trapped on a hedonic treadmill? IZA Journal of Migration, 3(1), 1–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Haas, H. (2010). The internal dynamics of migration processes: A theoretical inquiry. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 36(10), 1587–1617.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Haas, H. (2011). The determinants of international migration. Conceptualizing policy, origin and destination effects. DEMIG Working Papers 32, International Migration Institute, Oxford University. https://www.imi.ox.ac.uk/publications/wp-32-11. Accessed 28 Apr 2014.

  • de Jong, G. (2000). Expectations, gender, and norms in migration decision-making. Population Studies, 54(3), 307–319.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Jong, G., & Fawcett, J. T. (1981). Motivations for migration: An assessment and a value-expectancy research model. In G. F. de Jong & R. W. Gardner (Eds.), Migration decision making: Multidisciplinary approaches to micro-level atudies in developed and developing countries (pp. 13–58). New York: Pergamon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dickmann, M., Suutari, V., Brewster, C., Mäkelä, L., Tanskanen, J., & Tornikoski, C. (2016). The career competencies of self-initiated and assigned expatriates: Assessing the development of career capital over time. The International Journal of Human Resource Management.https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2016.1172657.

  • Driouchi, A. (2014). Unemployment persistence & risks of skill obsolescence in Arab countries. MPRA Paper 53793, IEAPS. Munich Personal RePEc Archive. https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/53793/1/MPRA_paper_53793.pdf. Accessed 02 Sept 2015.

  • Dumont, J. C. (2006). Immigrants from Arab countries to the OECD: From the past to the future. Population Division, Development of Economic and Social Affairs. UN/POP/EGM/2006/11. http://www.un.org/esa/population/migration/turin/Symposium_Turin_files/P11_Dumont(OECD).pdf. Accessed 17 Dec 2009.

  • Elder, G. H., Johnson, M. K., & Crosnoe, R. (2003). The emergence and development of life course theory. In J. T. Mortimer & M. J. Shanahan (Eds.), Handbook of the life course (pp. 3–19). New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Epstein, G. S., & Gang, N. (2010). Migration and culture. In S. Gil, I. Epstein, & N. Gang (Eds.), Migration and culture: Frontiers of economics and globalization (pp. 1–21). Bonn: Emerald.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Erel, U. (2010). Migrating cultural capital: Bourdieu in migration studies. Sociology, 44(4), 642–660.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erel, U. (2015). Thinking migrant’s capitals intersectionally: Using a biographical approach. In L. Ryan, U. Erel, & A. D’Angelo (Eds.), Migrant capital: Networks, identities and strategies (pp. 18–32). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Faist, T. (2000). The volume and dynamics of international migration and transnational social spaces. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Fakhoury, T. (2012). Emigration from the Arab and Sub-Saharan regions: A socio-political inquiry into push factors, policies and diasporas contributions to development. European University Institute. http://www.migrationpolicycentre.eu/docs/MPC%202012%2012.pdf. Accessed 02 Mar 2013.

  • Fargues, P. (2008). Emerging demographic patterns across the Mediterranean and their implications for migration through 2030. Washington: Migration Policy Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fargues, P. (2013). International migration and the nation state in Arab countries. Middle East Law and Governance, 5, 5–35. https://doi.org/10.1163/18763375-00501001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fargues, P., & Venturini, A. (2015). Migration from North Africa and the Middle East: Skilled migrants, development and globalization. London: I.B. Tauris.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Favell, A., Feldblum, M., & Smith, M. P. (2015). The human face of global mobility: A research agenda. In A. Favell (Ed.), Immigration, integration and mobility: New agendas in migration studies: Essays 1998–2014 (pp. 125–143). Colchester: ECPR Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferro, A. (2006). Desired mobility or satisfied immobility? Migratory aspirations among knowledge workers. Journal of Education and Work, 19(2), 171–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Findlay, A., McCollum, D., Coulter, R., & Vernon, G. (2015). New mobilities across the life course: A framework for analysing demographically linked drivers of migration. Population, Space and Place, 21(4), 390–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frieze, I. H., Hansen, S. B., & Boneva, B. (2006). The migrant personality and college students’ plans for geographic mobility. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 26(2), 170–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fussell, E. (2012). Space, time, and volition: Dimensions of migration theory. In M. R. Rosenblum & D. J. Tichenor (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of the politics of international migration (pp. 25–52). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Gaillard, J., Gaillard, A. M., & Krishna, V. V. (2015). Return from migration and circulation of highly educated people: The never-ending brain drain. Science, Technology and Society, 20(3), 449 pages.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldin, I., Cameron, G., & Balajaran, M. (2011). Exceptional people: How migration shaped our world and will define our future. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Grasmuck, S., & Pessar, P. (1991). Between two islands: Dominican international migration. Berkley and Los Angeles: University of California Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Gubert, F., & Nordman, C. J. (2008). Migration from MENA to OECD countries: Trends, determinants, and prospects. The World Bank. http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTMENA/Resources/SF_background-1.pdf. Accessed 18 Feb 2011.

  • Habti, D. (2010). The Bologna Process and the economic impacts of Research and Development within the context of Europeanization: The case of Finland. European Educational Research Journal, 9(1), 92–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Habti, D. (2012). Highly skilled mobility and migration from MENA region to Finland: A socio-analytical approach (PhD dissertation 43). University of Eastern Finland, Finland. http://epublications.uef.fi/pub/urn_isbn_978-952-61-0863-6/urn_isbn_978-952-61-0863-6.pdf

  • Habti, D. (2014). Spatialities of work and home in dual-career context of highly skilled Arab women in Finland. Journal of Finnish Studies, 17(1/2), 92–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Habti, D., & Elo, M. (2018). Rethinking self-initiated expatriation in international highly skilled migration. In D. Habti & M. Elo (Eds.), Global mobility of highly skilled people- Multidisciplinary perspectives on self-initiated expatriation (pp. 1–37). Cham: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Habti, D., & Koikkalainen, S. (2014). International highly skilled migration: The case of Finland: An introduction. Journal of Finnish Studies, 17(1/2), 3–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hagan, J. M. (2008). Migration miracle: Faith, hope, and meaning on the undocumented journey. London: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halfacree, K. (2004). A utopian imagination in migration’s terra incognita? Acknowledging the non-economic worlds of migration decision-making. Population, Space and Place, 10(3), 239–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halfacree, K., & Boyle, P. (1993). The challenge facing migration research: The case for a biographical approach. Progress in Human Geography, 17(3), 333–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardwick, S. W. (2003). Migration, embedded networks and social capital: Towards theorizing North American ethnic geography. International Journal of Population Geography, 9(2), 163–179.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, J. R., & Todaro, M. P. (1970). Migration, unemployment and development: A two-sector analysis. The American Economic Review, 60(1), 126–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harvey, W. S. (2008). The social networks of British and Indian expatriate scientists in Boston. Geoforum, 39(5), 1756–1765.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harvey, W. S. (2011). Immigration and emigration decisions among highly skilled British expatriates in Vancouver. In K. Nicolopoulou, M. Karatas-Ozkan, A. Tatli, & J. Taylor (Eds.), Global knowledge work: Diversity and relational perspectives (pp. 33–56). Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haug, S. (2008). Migration networks and migration decision-making. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 34(4), 585–605.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heikkilä, E. (2005). Mobile vulnerabilities: Perspectives on the vulnerabilities of immigrants in the Finnish labour market. Population, Space and Place, 11(6), 485–497.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heikkilä, E., & Koikkalainen, S. (2011). Finns abroad: New forms of mobility and migration (eds.). Institute of Migration. http://www.migrationinstitute.fi/files/finns_abroad_c21.pdf

  • Ho, E. L.-E. (2011). Migration trajectories of ‘highly skilled’ middling transnationals: Singaporean transmigrants in London. Population. Space and Place, 17(1), 116–129.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hugo, G. (2008). Australia’s state-specific and regional migration scheme: An assessment of its impacts in South Australia. International Migration & Integration, 9(2), 125–145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Inkson, K., & Thorn, K. (2010). Mobility and careers. In C. S. Carr (Ed.), The psychology of global mobility (pp. 259–278). New York: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • International Organization for Migration IOM. (2012). A study on the dynamics of Arab expatriate communities: Promoting positive contributions to socioeconomic development and political transitions in the homelands. IOM and League of Arab States. https://publications.iom.int/fr/system/files/pdf/arab_expatriate_communities_eng.pdf. Accessed 29 Aug 2013.

  • Johnson, M. K., & Mortimer, J. T. (2002). Career choice and development from a sociological perspective. In D. Brown & Associates (Eds.), Career choice and development (4th ed., pp. 37–84). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khachani, M. (2010). La migration des personnes hautement qualifiées: le cas du Maroc [Highly qualified migration: the case of Morocco]. CARIM Analytic and Synthetic Notes 2010/37. http://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/13689/CARIM_ASN_2010_37.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y. Accessed 08 Sept 2012.

  • King, R. (2002). Towards a new map of European migration. International Journal of Population Geography, 8(2), 89–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King, R. (2012). Theories and typologies of migration: An overview and a primer. Willy Brandt Series of Working Papers. Malmö Institute for Studies of Migration, Diversity and Welfare. https://www.mah.se/upload/Forskningscentrum/MIM/WB/WB%203.12.pdf. Accessed 13 May 2014.

  • King, R., & Skeldon, R. (2010). ‘Mind the gap!’ Integrating approaches to internal and international migration. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 36(10), 1619–1646.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klekowski von Koppenfels, A. (2014). Migrants or expatriates? Americans in Europe. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kofman, E. (2012). Gender and skilled migration in Europe. Cuadernos de Relaciones Laborales, 30(1), 63–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kofman, E. (2013). Towards a gendered evaluation of (highly) skilled immigration policies in Europe. International Migration, 52(3), 116–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kofman, E., & Raghuram, P. (2006). Women and global labour market trends: Incorporating the skilled workers. Antipode, 38(2), 282–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kõu, A., & Bailey, A. (2014). ‘Movement is a constant feature in my life’: Contextualizing migration processes of highly skilled Indians. Geoforum, 52, 113–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2014.01.002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kõu, A., van Wissen, L., van Dijk, J., & Bailey, A. (2015). A life course approach to high-skilled migration: Lived experiences of Indians in the Netherlands. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 41(10), 1644–1663.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kõu, A., Mulder, C. H., & Bailey, A. (2017). For the sake of the family and future’: The linked lives of highly skilled Indian migrants. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 43(16), 2788–2805.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kronfol, N., Sibai, A., & Rafeh, N. (1992). The impact of civil disturbances on the migration of physicians: The case of Lebanon. Medical Care, 30(3), 208–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krumboltz, J., & Levin, A. (2004). Luck is no accident: Making the most of happenstance in your life and career. Atascadero: Impact Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lerner, J. S., Ye, L., Valdesolo, P., & Kassam, K. S. (2015). Emotion and decision making. Annual Review of Psychology, 66, 799–823. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115043.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowell, L. (2008). Highly skilled migration. In World migration 2008: Managing labour mobility in the evolving global economy (pp. 51–76). International Organization for Migration. https://publications.iom.int/system/files/pdf/wmr_1.pdf. Accessed 16 May 2011.

  • Mahroum, S. (2000). Highly skilled globetrotters: The international migration of human capital. R&D Management, 30(1), 23–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martikainen, T., Saari, M., & Korkiasaari, J. (2013). International migration and Finland. In T. Martikainen, P. Saukkonen, & M. Säävälä (Eds.), Migrants: International migration and Finnish society (pp. 23–54). Helsinki: Gaudeamus.

    Google Scholar 

  • Massey, D. S., & Espinosa, K. E. (1997). What’s driving Mexico–US migration? A theoretical, empirical, and policy analysis. American Journal of Sociology, 102(4), 939–999.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Massey, D., Arango, J., Hugo, G., Kouaouci, A., Pellegrino, A., & Taylor, J. (1993). Theories of international migration: A review and appraisal. Population and Development Review, 19(3), 431–466.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Massey, D., Arango, J., Hugo, G., Kouaouci, A., Pellegrino, A., & Taylor, J. E. (1998). Worlds in motion: Understanding international migration at the end of the millennium. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McAuliffe, M., Kitimbo, A., Goossens, A. M., & Ahsan Ullah, A. K. M. (2018). Understanding migration journeys from migrants’ perspectives. In M. McAuliffe & M. Ruhs (Eds.), World migration report 2018 (pp. 171–189). Accessed 12 Feb 2018. https://publications.iom.int/system/files/pdf/wmr_2018_en_chapter7.pdf

  • McClelland, D. C. (1987). Human motivation. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meares, C. (2010). A fine balance: Women, work and skilled migration. Women′s Studies International Forum, 33(5), 473–481.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Millard, D. (2005). The impact of clustering on scientific mobility. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Sciences Research, 18(3), 209–223.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, M. K. (1983). The role of happenstance in career choice. Vocational Guidance Quarterly, 32(1), 16–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ni Laoire, C. (2008). ‘Settling back’? A biographical and life-course perspective on Ireland’s recent return migration. Irish Geography, 41(2), 195–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nohl, A.-M., Schittenhelm, K., Schmidtke, O., & Weiβ, A. (2006). Cultural capital during migration – A multi-level approach to the empirical analysis of labor market integration amongst highly skilled migrants. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 7(3), 14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nohl, A.-M., Schnittenhelm, K., Schmidtke, O., & Weiβ, A. (2014). Work in transition: Cultural capital and highly skilled migrants’ passages into the labour market. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • O’Reilly, K. (2012). International migration and social theory. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • O’Reilly, K. (2015). Migration theories: A critical overview. In A. Triandafyllidou (Ed.), Routledge handbook of immigration and refugee studies (pp. 25–33). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2008). The global competition for talent: Mobility of the highly skilled. Paris: OECD Publishing.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2012). OECD economic surveys: Finland 2012 (pp. 79–112). OECD Publishing. https://read.oecd-ilibrary.org/economics/oecd-economic-surveys-finland-2012_eco_surveys-fin-2012-en#page34. Accessed 25 Jan 2013.

  • OECD. (2013). World migration in figures. UN-OECD. https://www.oecd.org/els/mig/World-Migration-in-Figures.pdf. Accessed 06 June 2015.

  • Özden, C., & Parsons, C. (2017). International mobility of knowledge workers and high-skilled migration. In C. Fink & E. Miguelez (Eds.), The international mobility of talent and innovation: New evidence and policy implications (pp. 27–72). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Péridy, N. (2006). Migration from MENA countries to the EU: A quantitative assessment of recent patterns, policies and prospects. New Mediterranean, 5(4), 4–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Portes, A. (1998). Social capital: Its origins and applications in modern sociology. Annual Review of Sociology, 24, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.24.1.1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Portes, A., & Rumbalt, R. (2006). Immigrant America: A portrait (3rd ed.). Berkeley: University of California Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Portes, A., & Sensenbrenner, J. (1993). Embeddedness and immigration: Notes on the social determinants of economic action. The American Journal of Sociology, 98(6), 1320–1350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Portes, A., Guarnizo, L. E., & Landolt, P. (1999). The study of transnationalism: Pitfalls and promise of an emergent research field. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 22(2), 217–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Puustinen-Hopper, K. (2005). Mobile minds: Survey of foreign PhD students and researchers in Finland. Academy of Finland, Helsinki. https://www.aka.fi/globalassets/awanhat/documents/tiedostot/julkaisut/1_05-mobile-minds.pdf. Accessed 11 Mar 2008.

  • Raghuram, P. (2004). The difference that skills make: Gender family migration strategies and regulated labour markets. Journal of Ethnic and Migration, 30(2), 303–321.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raghuram, P. (2013). Situating women in the brain drain discourse: Discursive challenges and opportunities. In H. Stalford, S. Currie, & S. Velluti (Eds.), Gender and migration in 21st century Europe (pp. 85–105). Abingdon: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rajan, S. I. (2016). High-skilled migration. In A. Triandafyllidou (Ed.), Routledge handbook of immigration and refugee studies (pp. 88–94). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raunio, M., & Forsander, A. (2009). The welfare state in competition for global talent: From national protectionism to regional connectivity – the case of Finland. foreign ICT and bioscience experts in Finland. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.

    Google Scholar 

  • Richmond, A. (1994). Global apartheid. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, L. (2011). Migrants’ social networks and weak ties: Accessing resources and constructing relationships post-migration. The Sociological Review, 59(4), 707–724.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, L. (2015). Friendship-making: Exploring network formations through the narratives of Irish highly qualified migrants in Britain. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 41(10), 1664–1683.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, L., & Mulholland, J. (2015). Embedding in motion: Analysing relational, spatial and temporal dynamics among highly skilled migrants. In L. Ryan, U. Erel, & A. D’Angelo (Eds.), Migrant capital (pp. 135–153). Basingstoke: Palgrave.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, L., Sales, R., Tilki, M., & Siara, B. (2008). Social networks, social support and social capital: The experiences of recent Polish migrants in London. Sociology, 42(4), 672–669.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, L., Erel, U., & D’Angelo, A. (Eds.). (2015). Migrant capital: Networks, identities and strategies. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saxenian, A. (2006). The new argonauts: Regional advantage in a global economy. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schewel, K. (2015). Understanding the aspiration to stay. International Migration Institute, WP 107. Oxford University, UK. https://www.imi.ox.ac.uk/publications/wp-107-15. Accessed 18 Oct 2016.

  • Sell, R., & de Jong, G. (1978). Toward a motivational theory of migration decision making. Journal of Population, 1(4), 313–335.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sika, N. (2010). Highly-skilled migration patterns and development: the case of Egypt. Migration Policy Centre CARIM, 2010/17. http://cadmus.eui.eu/handle/1814/13454. Accessed 02 Aug 2011.

  • Skeldon, R. (1990). Population mobility in developing countries: A reinterpretation. London: Belhaven Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skeldon, R. (2018). High-skilled migration and the limits of migration policies. In M. Czaika (Ed.), High-skilled migration: Drivers and policies (pp. 48–64). Oxford: OUP.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, M. P. (2001). Transnational urbanism: Locating globalization. Malden: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Statistics Finland. (2013). Migration [e-publication]. Helsinki: Statistics Finland. http://www.stat.fi/til/muutl/index_en.html. Accessed 13 Dec 2013.

  • Suutari, V., & Brewster, C. (2000). Making their own way: International experience through self-initiated foreign assignments. Journal of World Business, 35(4), 417–436.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suutari, V., Brewster, C., Mäkelä, L., Dickmann, M., & Tornokoski, C. (2017). The effect of international work experience on the career success of expatriates: A comparison of assigned and self-initiated expatriates. Human Resource Management, 57(1), 37–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Syed, J. (2008). Employment prospects for skilled migrants: A relational perspective. Human Resource Management Review, 18(1), 28–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Triandafyllidou, A., & Isaakyan, I. (2016). Re-thinking the gender dimension of high-skill migration. In A. Triandafyllidou, I. Isaakyan, & G. Schiavone (Eds.), High-skill migration and recession: Gendered perspectives (pp. 293–305). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNDP. (2009). Overcoming barriers: human mobility and development. Human development report 2009. http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/reports/269/hdr_2009_en_complete.pdf. Accessed 11 Feb 2010.

  • Van der Velde, M., & van Naerssen, T. (Eds.). (2015). Mobility and migration choices: Thresholds to crossing Borders. Aldershot: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Hear, N., & Sørensen, N. N. (2003). The migration-development nexus. Geneva: International Organisation for Migration.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Hear, N., Bakewell, O., & Long, K. (2017). Push-pull plus: Reconsidering the drivers of migration. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 44(6), 927–944.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Laer, K., & Maddy Janssens, M. (2011). Ethnic minority professionals’ experiences with subtle discrimination in the workplace. Human Relations, 64(9), 1203–1227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Riemsdijk, M., & Wang, Q. (2017). Rethinking international skilled migration: A place-based and spatial perspective. In M. van Riemsdijk & Q. Wang (Eds.), Rethinking international skilled migration (pp. 1–15). Abingdon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vertovec, S. (2001). Conceiving and researching transnationalism. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 22(2), 447–462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viry, G., & Kaufmann, V. (2015). High mobility in Europe: Work and personal life. Basingstoke: Palgrave.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Waldinger, R. (2013). Immigrant transnationalism. Current Sociology Review, 61(5–6), 756–777.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warinowski, A. (2018). What about ‘expatriate children’? Child-level perspective on self-initiated expatriation of Finns Abroad. In D. Habti & M. Elo (Eds.), Global mobility of highly skilled people- Multidisciplinary perspectives on self-initiated expatriation (pp. 255–273). Cham: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wengraf, T. (2001). Qualitative research interviewing. London: Sage.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Williams, A. M., & Baláž, V. (2008). International migration and knowledge. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wingens, M., Windzio, M., de Valk, H., & Aybek, C. (2011). A life-course perspective on migration and integration. Dordrecht: Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Winter-Ebmer, R. (1994). Motivation for migration and economic success. Journal of Economic Psychology, 15, 269–284.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Bank. (2009). Shaping the future: A long-term perspective of people and job mobility for the Middle East and North Africa. The World Bank. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/921151468276857302/pdf/502670PUB0Shap1Box0342042B01PUBLIC1.pdf. Accessed 22 Sept 2012.

  • Zolberg, A. (1981). International migration in political perspective. In M. Kritz, L. L. Lim, & H. Zlotnik (Eds.), Global trends in migrations: Theory and research on international population movements (pp. 3–27). New York: Centre for Migration Studies.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Genuine gratitude is made to Academy of Finland (2007–2011) and Kone Foundation (2014–2016) for their support in the making of this study.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Karelian Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland

    Driss Habti

Authors
  1. Driss Habti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Driss Habti .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Karelian Institute, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland

    Driss Habti

  2. School of Economics, Belt & Road Institute of International Business, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China

    Maria Elo

  3. Turku School of Economics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Maria Elo

  4. Migration Institute of Finland, Turku, Finland

    Maria Elo

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Habti, D. (2019). Mapping Drivers of Arab Highly Skilled Self-Initiated Expatriation to Finland: Personal-Professional Life Pendulum. In: Habti, D., Elo, M. (eds) Global Mobility of Highly Skilled People. International Perspectives on Migration, vol 16. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95056-3_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95056-3_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-95055-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-95056-3

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation