Is there a hidden potential for rural population growth in Sweden?

Rural depopulation is a concern in many countries and various policy initiatives have been taken to combat such trends. This paper examines whether a hidden potential for rural population growth can be found in Sweden. If such potential exists, it implies that the development prospects for many rural areas are not as unpromising as they may seem today. If not, rapid rural depopulation can be expected and policymakers will have to increase their focus on how to lessen problems associated with population decline. In this paper we employ a combination of survey data and register data to identify the characteristics of people who have expressed a desire to move to rural areas and compare this population with those who actually do move to these areas. The results show that more people have rural residential preferences than the actual number of migrants to rural areas suggest. The findings indicate that there is a general potential for rural population growth, however, the characteristics of these two groups are similar and we can not discern any group as constituting this hidden potential. Nonetheless, we argue that this potential is unlikely to be realised in terms of rural population growth and the further implications of these findings are discussed.Rural; Population growth; Migration; Residential preferences; Sweden

The geographies of recruiting a partner from abroad. An exploration of Swedish data

International marriages are both a result and a driver of higher levels of global mobility and interconnectivity. Increasing ease of air travel for work and leisure, rising numbers of individuals studying, working and travelling abroad, and the emergence of international partnering websites have expanded traditionally local marriage fields – the geographical areas where people meet the partner – to global proportions. This expansion has increased the chance of meeting a potential partner from abroad resulting in an increase in international marriage migration. Recruiting a partner from abroad is surrounded by prejudice and stigma. ‘Knowledge’ about the characteristics of the individual ‘importing’ a partner from abroad is often based on anecdotic evidence and myths. In this paper we explore the factors that determine the probability that a native Swede recruits a partner from abroad. Along with various demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of the Swede we will pay specific attention to the geographies of marriage migration: the opportunity structure. This study uses longitudinal population data for the whole of Sweden, containing information on all individuals who lived in Sweden between 1994 and 2004. The results from multinomial logistic regression models shed a unique light on gendered and geographic patterns of partner recruitment.Migration; International marriage; Marriage migartion; Demographic characteristics; Socioeconomic characteristics; Globalisation; Sweden

Migration and Place Attractiveness

The thesis includes six self-contained papers that from various perspectives examine place attractiveness and migration in Sweden. Paper I provides an extensive overview of Swedish municipalities’ place marketing engagement to attract in-migrants, based on survey responses from 220 municipalities. The results suggest that, although this kind of marketing has become more prominent during the last few years, there is little evidence of any significant effects on migration flows. Paper II addresses place marketing campaigns directed towards the Stockholm region carried out by rural municipalities. The results show no general evidence of success, but in a few cases a positive impact of these campaigns cannot be ruled out conclusively. Paper III explores the effect of tourism on interregional net-migration in Sweden. The results indicate that tourism exerts a positive influence on migration, and it is shown how its effects vary depending on age group. Paper IV scrutinizes recent survey research on migration motives in the Nordic countries. This paper employs a different questionnaire design and surveys a somewhat different migrant population. The findings do not support recent research and the importance of employment-related motives is emphasised. Paper V focuses on residential preferences and explores what place attributes people would consider important if they were to migrate. Special attention is given to demographic, socio-economic and geographical determinants. The results show how these aspects influence residential preferences, and make some contributions to methodological issues on researching preferences. Paper VI aims at a conceptual framework whereby place attractiveness can be better understood. It is suggested that needs, demands and preferences are central factors and the attractiveness of places increases with the successive fulfilment of these factors. But the more factors a migrant seeks to fulfil in his or her destination selection, the fewer the choice possibilities

Promoting rural municipalities to attract new residents: an evaluation of the effects

Throughout the 1990s, most rural municipalities in Sweden experienced population declines and were forced to face the constraints of an ageing population. To counter this development a significant share turned to place marketing campaigns and promotion in the hope of attracting new residents. This paper examines the campaign efforts of the Swedish rural municipalities and addresses the question of whether they have been successful. The main methodological approach used in the paper is the employment of a pooled regression analysis (i.e. a combination of time series and cross-sectional data) to study the effects of marketing campaigns on migration flows to rural municipalities while simultaneously controlling for other potentially influential factors. Moreover, a case study is carried out in one municipality by way of interviews and detailed descriptive analysis of migration data. The results suggest no general evidence for a positive effect of marketing campaigns on in-migration, but in a few cases a positive impact cannot be ruled out conclusively

Evaluating the effects of place marketing campaigns on interregional migration in Sweden

During the last few years, Swedish municipalities have become increasingly engaged in competition to attract in-migrants. An important element of these efforts has been the use of place- marketing campaigns and promotion. Very little is known, however, about these attempts in terms of the number of municipalities involved, economic efforts, ways of marketing, target groups, etc. Furthermore, and more importantly, as for place-marketing studies in general, there have been few attempts at evaluation. The author's purpose is to provide an overview and to evaluate the effects of place-marketing efforts made by municipalities in Sweden to attract in-migrants. The empirical material is based largely on survey responses from 220 municipalities, and provides data for a general overview as well as for the evaluative approaches employed in the study. Among other findings, the results suggest that, although this kind of marketing has definitely become more important over the last few years, there is little evidence of any significant effects on interregional migration flows

Residential preferences for interregional migration in Sweden: demographic, socio-economic and geographical determinants

Policy makers are showing increasing interest in factors that make places attractive for prospective new residents. This paper focuses on residential preferences for interregional migration and aims to explore what place attributes people would value highly if they considered migrating. Special attention is given to differences in preferences between population subgroups in terms of demographic, socioeconomic, and geographical determinants. An ambitious prestudy with 390 respondents was carried out to ascertain relevant place attributes for the main study. The main study was carried out via a survey sent to a national sample of 5000 Swedes, of whom approximately 53% took part. The results give valuable information on how demographic, socioeconomic, and geographical aspects determine residential preferences in Sweden, and make some contributions to methodological issues on researching preferences in a migration context

Tourism and Interregional Migration in Sweden: an explorative approach

Are places with a successful tourist industry also successful when it comes to attracting migrants? In the present paper this hypothesis is empirically tested on interregional migration in Sweden. The paper draws on recent interest in, and research on, the relationship between tourism and migration. This line of research could be seen as an extension of traditional quality of life studies on migration, and the hypothesis partly rests on the notion that what people do in their spare time is increasingly emphasised and valued, which might very well affect population redistribution. Two complementary empirical data sources are used to test the hypothesis. The main focus is on the statistical analyses where tourismrelated and other more traditional variables are used to estimate the effects on migration. In addition, survey responses from 74% of the Swedish municipalities are used to find out whether the local authorities have noticed any relationship between tourism and migration. The results indicate that tourism indeed exerts a positive influence on migration, but the effects vary quite significantly among different age groups as well as when a ‘metropolitan effect’ is taken into account. The results show the need for further inquiries of tourism and migration, if the hypothesis is to be thoroughly confirmed