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Self-Initiated Expatriation Rebooted: A Puzzling Reality – A Challenge to Migration Research and its Future Direction

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Global Mobility of Highly Skilled People

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

Abstract

Modern expatriation and self-initiated expatriation have resulted from many societal, economic and political changes. The idea of expatriation as a corporate governed phenomenon has been shifting towards mobile individuals and families migrating for career progression, and a mobilisation of their resources in international contexts. The chapters in this book illustrate the different nuances, dynamics and situations that help us to understand the self-initiated expatriation of highly skilled people. The findings suggest that there is a continuum of agency location and a collectiveness of action from corporate talent management to individual life plans and aspirations. Thus, there is less of a dichotomy than a hybridization of expatriation processes that points out a need for conceptual discussions. Furthermore, the single migration process for work purposes is contested as a concept, especially when multiple migrations and mobility forms are considered. The challenging viewpoints and findings presented underline the necessity to examine the phenomenon from cross-disciplinary angles. This chapter collates these underpinnings and reflections.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Mixed families refer to families in which the couple (the parents) has different cultural, ethnic and citizenship backgrounds

  2. 2.

    Or non-Nordic citizens, as both Nordic- and the EU-citizens enjoy free movement to and from Finland, while for example, the citizens of developing countries have significant difficulties entering Finland legally for employment.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

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

    Maria Elo

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

    Maria Elo

  3. Migration Institute of Finland, Turku, Finland

    Maria Elo

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

    Driss Habti

Authors
  1. Maria Elo
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  2. Driss Habti
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Correspondence to Maria Elo .

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

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Elo, M., Habti, D. (2019). Self-Initiated Expatriation Rebooted: A Puzzling Reality – A Challenge to Migration Research and its Future Direction. 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_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95056-3_13

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-95055-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-95056-3

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