Rural Development and Migration - Effects of Rural Development Projects on Internal Migration and Migration Aspirations of Rural Dwellers in Hungary

The thesis is focusing on the relationship between rural development subsidies and outwards mobility from rural settlements. In general, the thesis’ aim is to analyse how rural development programmes influence emigration. Hungary, as the EU member with one of the highest social gap between rural-urban population as well as one of the highest ratio of non-urban dwellers, has in its rural development policies the central objective of reinforcing ‘population retaining capacities’ of the countryside, which these documents aim to achieve through rural development initiatives. However, the scientific literature is sceptical about development of migrant-sending areas resulting in lower ratios of outwards mobility. The thesis formulates 4 research questions and employs statistical data analysis methods (linear regression-based path analyses) as well as qualitative methods (interview analyses) to address them. While the former method relies on the investigation of Richard Rhoda (1983) on the topic, the latter method is based on the development-migration analytical framework of Hein de Haas (2014). Research findings suggest that among the least developed locations, rural development funds were more convincingly connected to a rise in enterprises, although funds spent for agricultural development seems absolutely ineffective in contributing to employment (that is, share of employed people living locally). Both these factors influence incomes positively. However, with rising incomes and employment, a much higher level of outwards mobility is expected, while conversely, entrepreneurship seems to reduce the share of those deciding to move away. As these impacts balance out one another, the overall effects of the different forms of rural development subsidies vary, with agricultural investments rather contributing to immobility and non-agricultural payments only doing alike because their incapability to promote new jobs. Interview analyses suggest that voluntary immobility is facilitated by positive changes in local career ...