Content and Objectives

In the context of a globalising world and increasing transnational migration processes, since the late 1990s international mobility among the German population has developed into a prominent field of public, political and scientific discourse. Unlike the extensive research about immigration to Germany, few academic analyses exist that focus on the emigration and return migration processes of the German population.

Given the recent demographic developments and the expected decline of the skilled workforce, political decision-makers are interested in reliable and comparable information about the extent, causes and consequences of emigration and return migration.

The objective of this study is the analysis of these emigration and return migration processes with a focus on different migration motives being of particular interest. Similarly, the influence of economic conditions and political contexts in the countries of origin and destination on emigration and return migration will be analysed. In addition to these substantive interests, the study also explores the feasibility of drawing a representative sample of the internationally mobile German population.