Changing Communities: Socio-Demographic Effects of Post-Enlargement Emigration from Latvia on the Staying Population

This thesis analyses socio-demographic effects of post-enlargement emigration in Latvia. A substantiate part of Latvian population departed the country since the EU enlargement of 2004 and the national demography is shifting towards constrictive population pyramid. Young people migrate within the EU in search of higher wages, studies or work experiences, contributing also to temporary migration flows among the member states. Migration has multifarious effects. Departure of young people from Latvia is making the country older in terms of demography. Migration flows are becoming increasingly diverse, as migrants represent both skilled and unskilled part of the work force. Periphery is facing severe depopulation and a decrease in the local workforce, leading to economic deprivation of the countryside and developmental challenges. Additionally, cultural production in these areas is depleted through the departure of artists and youth in general. Cultural  diversity is thus dampened by a decrease in cultural consumption and inability to engage in unorthodox activities. Ethnographic narrative of young Latvian returnees and relatives of migrants enables better understanding of the diverse emigration effects on social structures of the sending country. Finally, statistical data and academic literature provide a broader framework on European migration trends and Latvian national specifics.