Challenges of the Croatian Economy with regard to Competitiveness in Offering Quality of Life: Case of the Emigration of Croats to the Republic of Germany

U ovom se radu proučava fenomen emigracije mladih ljudi s područja Požege i Pleternice u Njemačku te njihova percepcija kvalitete života u Njemačkoj koju su stekli kroz iskustvo življenja u toj zemlji. Kroz prvi dio rada, koji je teorijski, prikazuju se različite definicije i određenja pojmova emigracije i kvalitete života koje su definirali relevantni autori, kao i pregled emigracijskih valova i njihovih posljedica na današnje društvo. Osim toga, u radu je napravljena usporedba s rezultatima ranijih istraživanja vezanih uz ovu temu. Drugi dio rada odnosi se na provedbu i analizu vlastitog kvalitativnog istraživanja čiji je opći cilj bio istražiti proces emigracije mladih te njihove kvalitete života u Njemačkoj. Ukupno je provedeno 12 dubinskih polustrukturiranih intervjua u razdoblju od prosinca 2017. do siječnja 2018. godine na namjernom uzorku mladih ljudi u starosti između 20 i 32 godine. Temeljem provedenih intervjua zaključeno je da su razlozi emigracije mladih uglavnom motivirani razlozima kao što su: nezaposlenost, niske plaće, spajanje obitelji te općenitog mišljenja da si u Njemačkoj mogu osigurati bolju budućnost. Kao glavne probleme života u Hrvatskoj navode: korupciju, loše političko vodstvo i sustav birokracije. Što se tiče kvalitete života, sudionici smatraju kako je općenito kvaliteta života u Njemačkoj bolja, no navode problem skupih stanova te manjak društvenog života u Njemačkoj. Ipak, s druge strane smatraju da hrvatski gradovi pružaju veći osjećaj sigurnosti od gradova u Njemačkoj. Većina sudionika razmišlja o povratku u Hrvatsku tek u mirovini, dok se manji broj njih misli vratiti u nekom kraćem vremenskom periodu.This paper examines the phenomenon of emigration of young people from Požega and Pleternica to Germany and their perception of the quality of life in Germany acquired through the experience of living in that country. Through the first part of this paper, which is theoretically, different definitions and definitions of the concepts of emigration and quality of life are defined by relevant authors, as well as an overview of migration waves and their consequences on today's society. In addition, a paper compares the results of earlier researches related to this topic. The second part of the paper deals with the implementation and analysis of author’s qualitative research, whose general aim was to explore the process of youth emigration and their quality of life in Germany. A total of 12 semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted in the period from December 2017 to January 2018 on a deliberate sample of young people aged between 20 and 32 years. Based on the conducted interviews, it was concluded that the reasons for youth emigration were mostly motivated by reasons such as unemployment, low salaries, family reunion and the general view that in Germany they could provide a better future. The main problems of life in Croatia include: corruption, bad political leadership and bureaucracy. As for quality of life, participants believe that overall quality of life in Germany is better, but they point to the problem of expensive housing and the lack of social life in Germany. Yet, on the other hand, they consider that Croatian cities provide greater sense of security than the cities in Germany. Most of the participants are thinking of returning to Croatia only at retirement, while fewer are thinking of returning in a shorter period of time