The Albanian External Migration to Greece and Italy

The book deals with the patterns of Albanian
emigration to Italy and Greece, and aims to account
for the differences in its size and form. The main
argument is that the interaction of three main
factors, namely the economic situation in Albania,
the permeability of the Greek and Italian borders,
and the immigration policies of these two receiving
countries determine the size and form of the post-
communist Albanian emigration. In particular, it
argues that the permeability of the Italian and
Greek borders determines the costs and risks of the
immigration routes, and consequently the economic
situation of the Albanian households determines how
many can afford which route, and thus the size of
immigration. It further argues that the immigration
law in the receiving countries and the probability
of entering the country again determine the form of
emigration, i.e. whether it is short-term, circular,
long-term, or permanent.

Autorentext
Ms. Ledi Lapaj holds an MA in International Relations and European Studies from the Central European University. She has been working as a research coordinator at IDRA Research & Consulting since 2005. Ms. Lapaj provides consultancy in marketing and social research, assessment, and evaluation.

Klappentext
The book deals with the patterns of Albanian emigration to Italy and Greece, and aims to account for the differences in its size and form. The main argument is that the interaction of three main factors, namely the economic situation in Albania, the permeability of the Greek and Italian borders, and the immigration policies of these two receiving countries determine the size and form of the post- communist Albanian emigration. In particular, it argues that the permeability of the Italian and Greek borders determines the costs and risks of the immigration routes, and consequently the economic situation of the Albanian households determines how many can afford which route, and thus the size of immigration. It further argues that the immigration law in the receiving countries and the probability of entering the country again determine the form of emigration, i.e. whether it is short-term, circular, long-term, or permanent.