Variety and effects of human mobility: “intra”, “extra”, and “crossing” flows in the region and the democratization process

Thousands of migrants are moving within and outside the Western Balkans every year in search of better opportunities. Migration brings important long-term consequences, especially in terms of demographic and socio-economic effects, yet comparatively less is known about its relation with the processes of democratization and reconciliation. In fact, the departure of the younger cohorts of the population implies a crucial loss of skills and knowledge for the origin country, and accentuates territorial inequality between urban and rural areas. Moreover, emigration may prevent national institutions from regenerating their internal human capital. At the same time, globalization offers Western Balkan diasporas many opportunities to interact with the homeland at all levels of the political, economic and social sphere, and to influence the path to democratization and reconciliation at home. In this chapter we explore the multidimensional connections between migration and political dynamics at both theoretical and empirical level, in order to understand their impact on the processes of democratization and reconciliation. To achieve this aim, the chapter relies on a theoretical framework connecting migration with democratic equality and reconciliation as a political value, as well as on statistical data to assess the diverse mobility trajectories within, across and outside the region.