Internal Migration, Social Capital and Subjective Wellbeing in Albania: the Case of Kamza Town
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Clemson University TigerPrints All Dissertations Dissertations December 2020 Internal Migration, Social Capital and Subjective Wellbeing in Albania: The Case of Kamza Town Merita Hysen Mece Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations Recommended Citation Mece, Merita Hysen, "Internal Migration, Social Capital and Subjective Wellbeing in Albania: The Case of Kamza Town" (2020). All Dissertations. 2751. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/2751 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INTERNAL MIGRATION, SOCIAL CAPITAL AND SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING IN ALBANIA: THE CASE OF KAMZA TOWN A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy International Family and Community Studies by Merita H. Meçe December 2020 Accepted by: Dr. Susan P. Limber, Committee Chair Dr. James McDonell Dr. Bonnie Holaday Dr. Arelis Moore de Peralta ABSTRACT This study assessed the relationship between internal migration, various types of social capital (i.e., trust, solidarity, bonding social ties and bridging social ties) and subjective wellbeing (life satisfaction and happiness) among a sample of 468 first- generation adult internal migrants and locals aged 18-75 years in Kamza town in Albania. Social capital and subjective wellbeing are two terms frequently used in the literature to describe people’s connections and to evaluate their life in various contexts including migration. Although these concepts are featured in academic literature, research, and global policy agendas, they are under-studied and rarely examined in the context of internal migration. By bringing together the literature about social capital, subjective wellbeing, and internal migration, this study traced associations among internal migrants and locals and contributes to an understanding of their relationship in under-researched areas such as Albania. This cross-sectional quantitative study used primary data collected through face- to-face structured individual surveys to capture differences in social capital and subjective wellbeing of first-generation adult internal migrants compared to locals as well as to assess the relationships among social capital and subjective wellbeing. Utilizing multiple ordinal regression and hierarchical multiple regression analyses, findings demonstrated that internal migrants are at a disadvantageous position compared to locals in both social capital and subjective wellbeing, after controlling for relevant socio-demographic variables. Using ordinal regression analyses, findings ii revealed the importance of various types of social capital for subjective wellbeing of both groups, thus answering some of the previously unanswered questions from the literature. Finally, results of this study showed that except for employment status, all other controlling variables (gender, age, education level, and marital status) made statistically significant contributions to the model. Although this study is valuable to researchers and policy makers, it also reveals the need for more comprehensive research to gain a better understanding of the relationship between social capital and subjective wellbeing in the context of internal migration. Key words: internal migration, social capital, subjective wellbeing, locals iii DEDICATION To my father who was a great encourager of my doctoral studies. He sadly passed away during the second year of my studies and was not with me till the end of this journey. Dedicating this work to him is the least I can do to honor the memory of this very lovable person in my life. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my gratitude for the encouragement and support I received during my doctoral dissertation. I am truly grateful to my mother for her constant support and enthusiasm during this PhD journey. I would like to thank my amazing family for its flexibility, patience, love and inspiration to balance my research work with other tasks. I owe my greatest gratitude to my dissertation committee and I would like to thank its members for generously offering their guidance, advice and time throughout this process. It was a real privilege to have Dr. Susan P. Limber as committee chair who was an example of excellent researcher, supervisor, instructor and human quality. I am truly thankful to have in my dissertation committee Dr. James McDonell, Dr. Bonnie Holaday and Dr. Arelis Moore de Peralta who provided constructive suggestions and shared their scientific knowledge. I would like to thank officials of Kamza Municipality for the information and materials they shared about this area’s transformation during the years of transition. My special thanks go to two interviewers from Kamza town who made great efforts to ensure a smooth data collection process. Last but not least, I owe many heartfelt thanks to the inhabitants of Kamza town who were ‘the main ingredients’ of this study and showed their willingness to participate, dedicated their time to the interviews, and shared their thoughts. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE PAGE ……………………………………………………………………. i ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………………….. ii DEDICATION …………………………………………………………………. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ……………………………………………………….v LIST OF TABLES ……………………………………………………………… x CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ………………………………………………………..1 Statement of the Problem …………………………………………………7 Purpose of the Study …………………………………………………… 10 Significance of the Study ………………………………………………. 11 Definition of Terms …………………………………………………….. 12 Research Questions and Hypotheses ……………………………………14 Organization of the Study ……………………………………………… 19 2. LITERATURE REVIEW………………………………………………. 21 Internal Migration ……………………………………………………… 21 Migration Theories ……………………………………………………... 23 Neo-classical Theory …………………………………………………... 23 New Economic of Labor Migration Theory …………………………… 28 The Network Migration Theory ………………………………………... 30 Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Internal Migrants ……………... 32 The Double-edged Feature of Internal Migration ……………………… 35 A General Overview of Social Capital ………………………………… 39 Theoretical Framework Related to Social Capital ……………………... 43 Bourdieu’s Approach to Social Capital ………………………………... 43 Coleman’s Approach to Social Capital ………………………………… 47 Putnam’s Formulation to Social Capital ……………………………….. 51 Elements of Social Capital ……………………………………………... 55 The Dark Side of Social Capital ……………………………………….. 61 Overview of Subjective Wellbeing …………………………………….. 62 Theoretical Framework of the Concept of Subjective Wellbeing ……... 65 Desires, Needs and Goals Theories ……………………………………. 65 vi Table of Contents (Continued) Page Bottom-up and top-down theories of subjective wellbeing …………… 67 Flourishing Theory …………………………………………………….. 70 Correlates of Subjective Wellbeing and Measurement Issues ………… 72 Internal Migration and Social Capital …………………………………. 80 Internal Migration and Subjective Wellbeing …………………………. 85 Social Capital and Subjective Wellbeing ……………………………… 89 Internal Migration in the Albanian Context …………………………… 90 Profile and Characteristics of Internal Migration in Kamza Town ……. 99 3. METHODOLOGY …………………………………………………… 110 Theoretical Foundations of Study Methodology …………………….. 110 Study Population ……………………………………………………… 111 Sample Size and Sampling Procedure ………………………………... 112 Research Instrument ………………………………………………….. 114 Measures .……………………………………………………………... 116 Pilot Test of the Research Instrument and Procedure ………………... 122 Structured Interview Guide ……………………………………………125 Training of Interviewers ……………………………………………… 126 Data Collection ……………………………………………………….. 127 Supervision and Data Quality Check …………………………………. 129 Data Storage and Protection ..…………………………………………. 130 Data Coding and Screening of Completed Surveys…………………… 130 Analytical Design of the Study ……………………………………….. 131 Data Preparation ………………………………………………………. 131 Analytical Tests for Hypotheses ……………………………………… 132 4. RESULTS ………..…………………………………………………… 138 Characteristics of the Sample …………………………………………. 138 Testing Hypothesis 1 - Various Types of Social Capital among First-generation Adult Internal Migrants and Locals in Kamza Town... 144 Hypothesis 1a - Trust among Internal Migrants and Locals…………... 144 Trust Differences between Groups controlling for Demographic Variables ……………………………………………………………… 144 Hypothesis 1b – Solidarity among Internal Migrants and Locals …….. 148 Solidarity Differences between Groups controlling for Demographic Variables ………………………………………………. 149 Hypothesis 1c – Bonding Ties among Internal Migrants and Locals … 153 vii Table of Contents (Continued) Page Bonding Ties Differences between Groups controlling for Demographic Variables ………………………………………………. 154 Hypothesis 1d – Bridging Ties among Internal Migrants and Locals ... 158 Testing Hypothesis 2 – Subjective Wellbeing among First-generation Adult Internal Migrants and Locals in Kamza Town ………………………………………………………………….. 167 Hypothesis 2a – Life Satisfaction among Internal Migrants and Locals …………………………………………………………………. 168 Life Satisfaction Differences between Groups controlling for Demographic Variables ………………………………………………. 168 Hypothesis 2b – Happiness among Internal Migrants and Locals …… 173 Happiness Differences between Groups controlling for Demographic Variables ………………………………………………. 173