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ASSIMILATION AND ATTACHMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION: THE CASE OF GUESTWORKERS IN GERMANY
Author(s) -
Waldorf Brigitte S.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
papers in regional science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.937
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1435-5957
pISSN - 1056-8190
DOI - 10.1111/j.1435-5597.1994.tb00613.x
Subject(s) - immigration , duration (music) , demographic economics , assimilation (phonology) , nationality , context (archaeology) , demography , geography , economics , sociology , art , linguistics , philosophy , literature , archaeology
Immigrants' attachments to home and their assimilation into the host society have been identified as major factors influencing international return migration. This paper provides an empirical analysis of the determinants of attachment and assimilation, with a special focus on the impact of duration of stay. Using survey data on guestworkers in West Germany in 1984 and 1989, the study finds that assimilation increases at a decreasing rate as the duration of stay is extended. The relationship between attachment and length of stay is less strong but shows a general trend of decreasing attachment levels as guestworkers prolong their stay in Germany. The resulting trends for return migration are characterized by an overall decline in the propensity to return as the duration of nationality. Overall, the results allude to the importance of distinguishing between short term and long term immigrants.