Page 9 - IJPS-10-3

International Journal of
Population Studies The use of multiregional life tables in Italy

birth not to identify migrants born abroad, but those 1.1. Internal migrations between geographical
born outside the macroregion considered (Ledent, 1980). macroregions in Italy: A brief overview
Moreover, considering life expectancy offers measures for Migration from the south to the rest of Italy became more
effectively characterizing internal migration behaviors, noticeable between 1955 and 1975 (Golini, 1974; Bonifazi
allowing for effective and robust comparisons. These & Heins, 2000; Bonifazi et al., 2021). Explanations for
behaviors have a bearing on the migratory choices in this intensity of migration included, on the one hand,
future between macroregions, which were shaped since the abandonment of the rural areas in favor of urban
young age (Casacchia & Strozza, 2002). This approach centers and, on the other, the industrial success attained
helps deepen our understanding of migration dynamics, in northwestern Italy, the most attractive migration
facilitating formulation of informed migration policies, destination for the south (Bubbico et al., 2011). During that
and addressing the challenges and opportunities associated period, the Lazio region (particularly Rome, the capital city
with the migration of the population. In the case of Italy, of Italy) became the most alluring destination of migration,
however, contemporary research tends to preclude this attracting flows mainly from specific regions of the south
variable in relevant analysis, with very few exceptions such as Abruzzo, Campania, Puglia, and Sardinia. In this
(Impicciatore & Strozza, 2016).
case, the shifts were primarily noticeable in the field of
The fundamental idea behind our analysis is that public administration and construction (Primavera, 2002).
place of birth (like in the case of the study and modeling In the 1970s and 1980s, the downsizing of economic
of international migration) acts as a pivotal variable in growth and financial difficulties in Italy led to a reduction
understanding internal migration dynamics and trends in the magnitude of migration flows between macroregions
and, therefore, it cannot be ignored. In other words, and a growing lack of interest by scholars in this field of
knowing the area of birth helps the researcher predict study (Bonifazi, 1999; Bonifazi et al., 2014). In the early
and interpret internal migration within a specific country 1990s, an economic recovery led to a non-negligible
under investigation. On the basis of these premises and growth in industrial equipment in Italy. During this
the main international literature on the topic, we propose period, industrial growth was no longer focused solely on
an approach that outlines the role played by the place the northwest, but also on the northeast. For this reason,
of birth in internal migration within Italy from 2002 to internal migration continued to grow again, mainly
2013, while also considering gender and age. The model through the flows from the south (Bonifazi & Heins, 2000;
used is the multiregional model place-of-birth-dependent 2017) and the migration of immigrants who arrived in
approach, that is, the multiregional model of Rogers Italy from abroad (Bonifazi et al., 2012).
(1973) taking into consideration the place of birth of
whoever migrates (Ledent, 1980). Our goal is to provide At the beginning of 2000, the migration flows maintained
accurate measurements of internal migration, noting the a similar increasing trend was still, reminiscent of those in
years of life expectancy for each birth cohort living in each the previous decade. The flows were no longer concentrated
geographical macroregion of Italy. Our research questions solely in the northwest. At the same time, the central
are as follows: macroregion continued to be an important destination,
(i) How does internal migration differ if it is distinguished while the northeast was becoming more appealing for
by place of birth? migrants. The growth of temporary work contracts, the
(ii) Are there different migration patterns for each birth enlargement of the services sector, and the rise in small
cohort? businesses also led to northeast areas becoming important
(iii) How has the ability to absorb years of life expectancy destinations of migration flows (Crisci & Di Tanna, 2016).
from other birth cohorts changed in each macroregion In recent years, in fact, short-range shifts have increased,
in the past 15 years? leading to a renewal of the migration momentum between
(iv) Are there gender differences among birth cohorts? the northwest and northeast of the country, due to the
This paper is structured as follows: in the next section, a so-called housing carriers boosted by the Italian middle
brief description of Italian migration between geographical class (Bottai & Benassi, 2016).
macroregions is provided, and the subsequent section In 2008 – 2009, due to the economic crisis, internal
briefly reviews the literature on the multiregional model migration suffered another setback, before returning to
of the place-of-birth-dependent approach. The sources pre-crisis levels in subsequent years (Bonifazi, 2015). In
of data and research methodology are described, and those years, the internal migration of residents in Italy
the results obtained through the application of the was also characterized by a change in the patterns relating
multiregional model are presented. Finally, this work offers to age of migration. The emigration rate among young
some discussions and conclusive remarks. people, compared with previous years, grew intensely

Volume 10 Issue 3 (2024) 3 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.1898