Geografie 2015, 120, 585-602
What shapes the concentration/deconcentration processes? The factors influencing internal migration of immigrants in Czechia
The distribution of foreigners is becoming an essential part of socio-geographical differentiation of Czechia. In addition to international migration, the spatial distribution patterns of non-natives are further modified according to their internal mobility, which, compared to the majority population, is much higher. On the basis of the population registry and a quantitative survey (N = 912), we analyzed internal mobility of two of the most numerous groups of immigrants in Czechia (Vietnamese and Ukrainians). We also tried to explain the resulting migration patterns, to assess their impact on the concentration/deconcentration processes of immigrants on different spatial levels and to compare the results with similar trends through Europe and the United States. The results of the analysis indicate that both ethnic groups behave differently and that in particular in the case of Ukrainians the concentration processes on the regional level are not accompanied by any concentration processes on the neighborhood level.
Keywords
internal migration, concentration/deconcentration, Vietnamese, Ukrainians, spatial assimilation.