Patterns of internal migration, regional polarisation and market reforms in Central Europe

This paper analyses process of internal migration in transition countries Central Europe and Slovakia in particular. A model based on several thousands particular regional data examines relation between basic pull/push migration factors (investment, housing, income, unemployment and natural change in population) and internal migration rates in Slovakia in 1985-1999. While these factors fitted well for period 1985-1989, they explanation power was significantly lower for periods of early and late transition (1990-1994 and 1995-1999). This paradox was likely to be explained via dismantling communist economic institutions in early transition period and lagging introduction of market institutions in Slovakia. Hungary seemed to do better and accounted for better explanation power of the model. Last part of the paper provides for international comparisons of internal migration in transition countries and advanced economies. Importance of market institutions (investment, housing and labour markets) for population mobility is discussed further