In observing the integration process at a local and neighbourhood level, this paper aims to analyse the integration experiences of asylum beneficiaries (refugees) in Croatia and their relationships ...with various stakeholders. The analyses are based on data obtained in 2018 by interviewing 25 refugees about their perceptions of living prospects in Croatia. The results indicated that most of the interviewees described their relationships and experiences with state institution officials as mostly negative or challenging, and in some cases discriminatory. Acceptance in local communities was predominantly assessed as positive, although it took a while for refugees to feel accepted.
This article aims to supplement the growing understanding of the specificities of food self-provisioning (FSP) practice in Eastern Europe with deeper understanding of the class structure and broader ...environmentalist motivations of the self-reported practitioners. FSP and sharing of ‘garden produce’ is a long-term socioeconomic phenomenon in Croatia but so far there has been no research on the whole population in regard to FSP. We explore how widespread FSP in Croatia is, based on a survey of a nationally representative sample (N = 1000), within a broader social stratification project. We further explore the class structure of FSP practitioners and compare it to their reported motivations for engaging with the practice, and their pro-environmental behaviour, resilience and personal flourishing. Previous research in CEE has shown that FSP is characteristic of between 35% and 60% of national populations (Smith and Jehlička, 2013), whereas our findings show that a little over 50% of respondents claim that they have a garden, field or orchard, they use to produce food for themselves and part of their social network. As a practice it is more situated in smaller settlements and rural areas, but it is not a principally rural phenomenon. Slim majority of people involved in FSP in Croatia are identified as working class, however, FSP is not a coping strategy focused on the poor and low-income households in Croatia and food self-provisioners report higher level of personal wellbeing, more pro-environmental behaviour and higher level of self-perceived resilience.
This article examines the level of development of integration policies in the European Economic Area and the attempts to compare and standardize them. We discuss national integration models and ...policies based on the results of the Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX) and OECD/EU indicators of integration. Indicating the possible pitfalls of measuring and comparing integration policies, the results of researches into labour mobility and access to citizenship are examined. This comparative study shows that the indicators of immigrant integration are often at odds with the development level of integration policies, which results in their inadequate implementation in practice. Furthermore, EU countries face different challenges in the enactment of integration policies which spring from diverse (im)migration experiences, the scope of past migrations, and recent migratory flows. This is why integration policies should be re‐indexed, taking into consideration the particularities of (im)migration flows, the size of the immigrant population and other relevant factors.
U radu se analiziraju medijske reprezentacije migranata s posebnim fokusom na slučaj pokušaja uspostave prihvatilišta za tražitelje azila u naselju Mala Gorica kod Petrinje. Kretanja prisilnih ...migranata kroz zemlje na balkanskoj ruti nakon zatvaranja Balkanskog koridora stavljaju države u regiji u izazovnu poziciju upravljanja migracijama, te eventualne organizacije i provedbe prihvata i integracije za one koji su u potrebi za međunarodnom izbjegličkom zaštitom ili kojima je ona odobrena. Odabir lokacije i izgradnja ili adaptacija smještajnih objekata, tj. prihvatilišta za tražitelje međunarodne zaštite (azila), često mogu biti mjesta otpora i protesta lokalnog stanovništva zbog odluka vlasti da upravo u njihovoj sredini uspostavi objekt tog tipa i namjene. U procesu informiranja građana i zauzimanja stavova prema "drugima", mediji igraju važnu ulogu budući da, uz druge društvene aktere na pozicijama moći, dominantno (su)oblikuju javni diskurs. Korištenjem kvalitativne analize sadržaja medijskih članaka objavljenih od studenoga 2018. do svibnja 2019. godine (N-52) – i temeljene na pristupu analizi dokumenata Altheidea i Schneidera (2017) – identificirani su diskursi, teme i okviri koji pridonose razumijevanju medijske reprezentacije spomenutog fenomena. Prema analizi argumentacije različitih aktera identificirane su tri teme: odnos žrtve i nasilnika, odnos vlasti i naroda te odnos između "centra" (Zagreb) i "periferije" (Petrinja) – sve tri, u različitim varijacijama, upućuju na problem nejednakosti, odnosno dominacije i subordinacije. Nastavno na njih, identificirana su dva dominantna medijska okvira u izvještavanju: diskurzivna konstrukcija migranata kao društveni problem i sukob kao konstitutivna relacija između društvenih aktera. Taj tip istraživanja omogućuje kritičko promišljanje načina na koji mediji reprezentiraju marginalizirane društvene skupine poput tražitelja azila, što onda potencijalno omogućuje i promjenu tih reprezentacija u javnoj sferi, i to na načine koji bi pridonijeli stvaranju društvenih preduvjeta za inkluzivni i humani tretman marginaliziranih skupina.
The paper analyses media representations of migrants with a special focus on the case of an attempt to establish an accommodation centre for asylum seekers in the Croatian village Mala Gorica near Petrinja. After the closure of the Balkan Corridor, the movement of forced migrants through the countries on the Balkan route put the states in the region in a challenging position. The states had to develop migration management systems that would enable the organisation of acceptance and integration of refugees. The choice of location of reception and accommodation facilities for asylum seekers could often be a contentious issue for the local population. The media play an important role in the process of informing citizens since, along with other social actors in positions of power, they influence and shape the public discourse. In this paper, we used a qualitative content analysis of Croatian media articles published from November 2018 to May 2019 (N-52). In order to identify discourses, themes and frameworks that contribute to the understanding of the media representation of the above phenomenon we used the document analysis approach of Altheide and Schneider (2017). In the analysis of the arguments of various actors three themes were detected: the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, the relationship between the government and the people, and the relationship between the “center” (Zagreb) and the “periphery” (Petrinja). All three, in different variations, point to the problem of inequality, i.e., domination and subordination. We identified two dominant media frames in reporting: discursive construction of migrants as a social problem and conflict as a constitutive relationship between social actors. We discuss these findings and argue that this type of research enables a critical reflection on the role of media in public representations of marginalised social groups such as asylum seekers, which could then enable a more inclusive social environment and humane treatment of marginalised groups.
U razdoblju između 2011. i 2017. došlo je do oscilirajućeg, ali vidljivog, porasta broja maloljetnika bez pratnje u tranzitu kroz Hrvatsku. Događaji na balkanskom koridoru tijekom 2015. i 2016. ...uključivali su i značajan broj djece bez pratnje i djece odvojene od roditelja, koji se smatraju ranjivim skupinama izbjeglica i migranata. Državne politike i mjere usmjerene na skrb za te skupine, odnosno na njihovu zaštitu, uključuju i mehanizme imenovanja posebnih skrbnika koji se bave zaštitom njihovih prava i pružanjem opće potpore u sustavu skrbi tijekom njihova boravka i/ili tijekom postupka priznavanja statusa. Provedenom analizom dostupnih dokumenata nadopunjenom tematskom analizom sadržaja 26 ekspertnih intervjua koji su bili provedeni u tri ciklusa, 2014., 2016. i 2018., među relevantnim dionicima i pružateljima skrbi, u radu se razmatraju neki od najvažnijih izazova u sustavu posebnog skrbništva, ispitujući opću ulogu skrbnika za prihvat, integraciju i moguće spajanje obitelji za djecu bez pratnje. Rezultati upućuju na to da se zbog kratkog razdoblja boravka djece bez pratnje u Hrvatskoj, ali i zbog sustavnih nedostataka u sustavu skrbi, država suočava s nedosljednostima u provedbi postojećih standarda Europske unije kao i nacionalnih mjera. Stoga je sustav posebnog skrbništva za maloljetnike bez pratnje i djecu odvojenu od roditelja, na koji je samo dijelom utjecalo iskustvo s balkanskim koridorom iz 2015. i 2016., ograničen nedostatkom stručnih i financijskih sredstava, izostankom snažnije institucionalne podrške angažmanu posebnih skrbnika te donekle preklapanjem nadležnosti različitih aktera u sustavu skrbi.
In the period from 2011 to 2017, there was a fluctuating yet notable increase of unaccompanied minors transiting through Croatia. The 2015 and 2016 events involving the Balkan corridor included a ...significant number of unaccompanied and separated children, who count as vulnerable groups of refugees and migrants. State policies and measures aimed at providing care and protection to these groups include mechanisms of appointing special guardians, who are tasked with safeguarding their rights and providing general assistance within the system of care during their stay and/or during the status recognition procedure. Using a desk study of relevant accessible documents together with a thematic content analysis of 26 expert interviews that were conducted in three cycles; in 2014, 2016, and 2018 with relevant stakeholders and care providers, the authors discussed the experiences of practitioners in the field and some of the most important challenges they are facing within the special guardianship system. The general role of caregivers in the reception, integration and possible family reunification of unaccompanied children was also examined. The results suggested that due to short period of their stay in Croatia, and due to systemic insufficiencies within the system of care, the state is facing inconsistencies in the implementation of existing European Union standards and of national measures. The special guardianship care system for unaccompanied and separated children, which is moderately influenced by the 2015 and 2016 Balkan corridor experience, has been limited by lack of professional and financial resources, lack of stronger institutional support and somewhat overlapping competences of different parties in the system of care. U razdoblju između 2011. i 2017. došlo je do oscilirajućeg, ali vidljivog, porasta broja maloljetnika bez pratnje u tranzitu kroz Hrvatsku. Događaji na balkanskom koridoru tijekom 2015. i 2016. uključivali su i značajan broj djece bez pratnje i djece odvojene od roditelja, koji se smatraju ranjivim skupinama izbjeglica i migranata. Državne politike i mjere usmjerene na skrb za te skupine, odnosno na njihovu zaštitu, uključuju i mehanizme imenovanja posebnih skrbnika koji se bave zaštitom njihovih prava i pružanjem opće potpore u sustavu skrbi tijekom njihova boravka i/ili tijekom postupka priznavanja statusa. Provedenom analizom dostupnih dokumenata nadopunjenom tematskom analizom sadržaja 26 ekspertnih intervjua koji su bili provedeni u tri ciklusa, 2014., 2016. i 2018., među relevantnim dionicima i pružateljima skrbi, u radu se razmatraju neki od najvažnijih izazova u sustavu posebnog skrbništva, ispitujući opću ulogu skrbnika za prihvat, integraciju i moguće spajanje obitelji za djecu bez pratnje. Rezultati upućuju na to da se zbog kratkog razdoblja boravka djece bez pratnje u Hrvatskoj, ali i zbog sustavnih nedostataka u sustavu skrbi, država suočava s nedosljednostima u provedbi postojećih standarda Europske unije kao i nacionalnih mjera. Stoga je sustav posebnog skrbništva za maloljetnike bez pratnje i djecu odvojenu od roditelja, na koji je samo dijelom utjecalo iskustvo s balkanskim koridorom iz 2015. i 2016., ograničen nedostatkom stručnih i financijskih sredstava, izostankom snažnije institucionalne podrške angažmanu posebnih skrbnika te donekle preklapanjem nadležnosti različitih aktera u sustavu skrbi.
This article explores the recent history of labour migration in post-independence Croatia. The time period under investigation is 1990-2023, which encompasses three decades during which the country ...has experienced complex migrations, in particular of labour migrants and refugees. The article's ambition is twofold. First, it identifies changing elements of the Croatian migration system, exploring how it is embedded in the wider regional and international migration systems. Second, it proposes a pioneering typology of Croatian migrations and discusses their drivers. The article argues that the Croatian migrations have been significantly affected by the country's changing affiliations to neighbouring states and the European Union. Several historical, socioeconomic and political junctions have enabled, driven and hampered labour migrations and other migratory flows of the Croatian migration system. It is evident that the war of independence, the poor socioeconomic situation in the post-war period and increased opportunities to emigrate to more developed parts of Europe have all contributed to the depopulation of Croatia and to ongoing changes in its migration system. It is also asserted that understanding the Croatian migration system necessitates a long-term perspective on the interactions between immigrant and emigrant flows, and on how they overlap with return migrations.
The problem of a healthcare workforce shortage is present on a global scale, as evidenced by the World Health Organization's estimate that by 2035, there will be a global deficit of 12.9 million ...healthcare workers (Campbell et al., 2013). Previous research indicates that the emigration of highly qualified professionals is relatively under-researched within the Croatian scientific community. Some studies have focused on surveys among student populations and their inclinations towards emigration as a form of potential emigration (Golub, 2003; Šverko, 2005; Mlikota and Prelas Kovačević, 2013; Bojanić, Bojanić and Likić, 2015; Mrkonjić et al., 2019; Troskot, Prsaklo and Šimić Banović, 2019; Šlibar, Oreški and Klačmer Čalopa, 2023). According to existing research, the most common reasons contributing to the inclination to-wards migration among healthcare workers in Croatia include issues in the organisation of the healthcare system and working conditions, low financial compensation, issues in the education and specialisation process, nepotism and political favouritism in the healthcare system, as well as the general political climate in society. This study is part of the first author's research for her doctoral dissertation on the topic “Key Factors in the Emigration of Healthcare Workers from the Republic of Croatia.” The general aim of this research was to map the relevant reasons for the emigration of healthcare workers from Croatia from their perspective and based on their statements, and to identify the key reasons for emigration, i.e., those that prevail in the decision-making process regarding emigration. The research questions were defined as follows: What are all the factors that influenced the decision of emigrated physicians to leave Croatia? Which of these factors are more important than others, i.e., prevail in decision-making? How can we explain the differences in the importance of these factors? The research was conducted using qualitative methodology as the optimal framework considering the research topic. The study included 45 healthcare workers, both emigrated and non-emigrated. We interviewed members of the two largest groups of healthcare workers, nurses/medical technicians and physicians, but in this paper, we present preliminary results obtained from one of the researched subsamples: emigrated physicians. Some of the results presented here were obtained from research on a sample from the population of physicians who emigrated from Croatia, constituting a subsample of the total sample of emigrated healthcare workers, with a total of 18 interviews conducted (13 women, and 5 men). The research was initiated in September 2021 and completed in February 2023, with all interviews conducted online due to the pandemic context. Regarding the method of data analysis and processing, we opted for a thematic analysis approach, specifically a variant of thematic analysis developed by King (2004), called pattern analysis. We argue that this approach is particularly suitable for studies aimed at comparing different perspectives of actors in a phenomenon within a specific context. Through the process of inductive and deductive thematic analysis and in accordance with the initial theoretical-conceptual framework of this research, we established three main themes that describe and encompass important groups of reasons for the emigration of physicians from Croatia: 1. Professional aspirations of physicians. This type of motivation represents a key or significant reason for the decision to emigrate, or it is indirectly related to that decision. It may involve a desire for training that is not offered in Croatia at all, or if it is, the quality of education is perceived as inadequate, i.e., some physicians strive for higher-quality education. Physicians who want to educate themselves and/or specialise in narrowly specialised areas can only acquire their knowledge in countries with larger healthcare systems. Furthermore, reasons related to the possibility of obtaining the desired specialisation are mentioned, as well as the perception of fairness in the competition process, i.e., the perception of corruption and nepotism in these processes. 2. Organisational context of the Croatian healthcare system. This theme is crucial when discussing the reasons for the emigration of physicians from Croatia. Emigrated physicians uniformly express a high degree of dissatisfaction with various aspects of working in the Croatian public healthcare system, and in the vast majority of cases, they cite this as the key reason for deciding to emigrate. These aspects include interpersonal relationships (along with the theme of mobbing), overtime work and excessive workloads, high levels of politicisation of the profession (including the themes of corruption and nepotism in the healthcare system), and management of the healthcare system (at both higher and lower levels) along with the related theme of the system’s structure and organisation. 3. General/broader social context. The theme of quality of life did not emerge as one of the decisive reasons for emigration, but the theme of the broader social context, i.e., the perception of the general socio-political atmosphere in Croatia, appeared important for some physicians, and for a smaller number, as one of the decisive reasons for emigration. We believe this broader context is associated by interlocutors with the context of working in the healthcare system. The politicisation of the profession/ system and the phenomenon of corruption and nepotism in the system are recognised as part of the broader socio-political context in which corruption and nepotism are important features of the general socio-political climate. We contend that, for a small portion of interviewed physicians, the inability to realise their professional aspirations in Croatia is an important push factor for emigration. However, we believe that our research provides grounds to conclude that this concerns a very small number of physicians, and that the phenomenon of emigration would not represent any burden to the healthcare system if other important push factors were not present. The organisational context of the public healthcare system, i.e., various aspects of the experience of working in that system, takes precedence in our analysis in terms of key push factors for emigration. In this group of reasons, there is no simple answer, as the aspects of this issue are multiple and intertwined. A large portion of emigrated physicians speak of poor interpersonal relationships as one of the most important reasons for emigration. This theme is often associated in their statements with the theme of excessive politicisation of the profession, forming opposing groups (“us/our” and “them/theirs”), which directly harms cooperation. In the context of the theme of interpersonal relationships, we notice that there are two types of mobbing, individual cases of abuse of power, and systemic mobbing, where the system accepts and legitimises it to some extent since there are no sanctions for instances of abuse. We recognise the second type mostly in relation to younger physicians, especially specialists, in the undermining of work standards and norms manifested in the frequency of overtime work, overloading with work tasks, and problems in interpersonal relationships and in managing work organisation. We also observed a specific type of systemic mobbing characterised by gender-discriminatory abusive behaviour and the use of positions of power within the system for inappropriate and disturbing practices by superiors towards staff. The overall picture we describe points to an organisational climate that tolerates, or even encourages, but most importantly conceals problems in its functioning. These issues are addressed inadequately or not at all, and there are no adequate mechanisms for sanctioning (or they exist but are not applied, and when they are, they often have little real effect for the victim). Other possible factors contributing to emigration were mentioned, such as individual and family reasons that facilitate decision-making about migration and most often increase the likelihood of emigration. In addition, factors include active recruitment by foreign agencies, changes in regulatory frameworks that facilitate mobility, recognition and evaluation of qualifications, perception of favourable conditions for immigration and integration at the destination, better opportunities for the education of children, desire for change and openness to new experiences, among others. The limitations of this research relate to the predominant focus on the physicians’ reminiscences of reasons for emigration, which may sometimes be post-hoc rationalisations of their decisions. Another limitation concerns the method of conducting interviews, which, although initially planned to be face-to-face, were ultimately conducted remotely and virtually due to the circumstances of the global COVID-19 pandemic. From the presented results, we can conclude that the emigration of physicians from Croatia is shaped by numerous interconnected factors. Without investment in education and training, and the retention of the medical workforce, there is a risk of potential degradation in treatment standards due to a shortage of necessary professionals. Therefore, research on the emigration of physicians is relevant for various national stakeholders involved in the creation and implementation of public policies, especially healthcare, migration, and educational policies related to healthcare worker education and specialisation, among others.
Abstract
This article analyses the international migrations and statuses of people who left Syria after the outbreak of the civil war. In addition to exploring the dynamics of Syrian refugee ...migrations since 2011, we also discuss future prospects and possibilities of return. The ambition of the article is twofold. First, we aim to develop and nuance the typology of migrations of Syrians. Secondly, the article seeks to explore useful lessons from former large-scale refugee migrations; that is, knowledge which may hopefully contribute to preparing the relevant institutions and organisations for Syrian migrations in the eventual post-war period. Based on experiences from other post-conflict situations, several possible future scenarios of Syrian migrations are discussed. The proposed typologies of migrants and repatriation regimes may help us understand the nuances, the dynamic of status change and the complexity of the forced migrations. It is maintained that migration trends, reception, and repatriation conditions and policies are highly interconnected. Refugees’ responses to reception and repatriation regimes result in transitions in their legal statuses in receiving countries and changing motivations for migration and repatriation.
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