“Social Insecurity and Intergenerational Solidarity: Shaping Migration Decisions and Transnational Family Dynamics”

This paper examines the influence of social security challenges on migration decisions and the resulting transnational family dynamics among Albanian transnational families. By employing a qualitative research design, we gathered in-depth narratives from both returnees and migrants, allowing us to develop detailed case stories. These stories offer valuable insights into the complex decision-making processes behind migration, with a particular emphasis on social insecurities and the role of intergenerational solidarity. The findings highlight that poor employment prospects, inadequate healthcare services, and insufficient social security provisions (such as low pension outcomes) were pivotal factors driving both low- and high-skilled individuals to migrate. These conditions often prompted migration as a response to the failures of formal social protection systems, with remittances seen as a solution to support families left behind.

A key theme emerging from the research is intergenerational solidarity, where family members—typically the eldest children or parents—assume the responsibility of migrating to provide financial support for their families. This solidarity sometimes even spurred re-migration from one host country to another, in search of better opportunities for family reunification and improved prospects for their children.

The study situates these migration experiences within an analytical and theoretical framework, shedding light on how social insecurities shape transnational family dynamics. By analyzing the personal narratives of migrants, the research offers significant insights into the interconnectedness of social protection failures, family obligations, and migration decisions, revealing the centrality of family support networks in the migration process and the long-term impacts on family structures across borders.