Conceptual frameworks on migration processes and local development in rural and mountain areas: MATILDE Deliverable 2.4

This report presents the conceptual framework developed in the H2020 MATILDE project to analyze international migration processes towards rural and mountain areas. The publication's specific focus is on transdisciplinary concepts that are mobilized to examine the interactions of Third Country Nationals with local structures, institutions, and communities in this type of region.

The report begins by providing working definitions of Third Country Nationals (TCNs), rural and mountain areas, as well as territory. It then moves on to elaborate conceptual frameworks relating to the specific interactions between newcomers and local communities in rural and mountain areas. The new mobilities paradigm is presented as an adequate
concept to address both the local and regional variety of migration phenomena and related impacts. Processes of staying and attachment, commonly acknowledged as a prerequisite for evoking changes and impacts, are also elaborated. Migrants’ interactions with places are pointed out, whilst the agency of migrants is highlighted as crucial in this context, along with migration governance.

This report also provides an overview of concepts on the settlement of migrants and the individual’s strife for participating in the economic, social, cultural, and political life of the host society. It subsequently introduces the migration-development nexus, both in conceptual terms and its manifestation in current European rural development policies. Finally, an outlook on the measurement of social, economic, and territorial impact, is given.

Adopting a transdisciplinary approach, the report combines insights from the disciplines of migration studies, sociology, geography, and rural studies.