THE EFFECTS OF MIGRATION ON COMMUNITY COHESION IN RURAL ROMANIA: ANTECEDENTS AND CONSEQUENCES

<doi>10.24250/jpe/2/2025/EG/DR</doi>

Abstract

This paper examines the effects of migration on community
cohesion in rural Romania, with particular emphasis on its
antecedents and consequences. Drawing on qualitative
thematic analysis, the study integrates insights from rural
sociology, social capital theory, and social disorganization
theory to situate Romanian migration within broader
European and global debates. Findings highlight how
economic factors such as unemployment and income
disparities intersect with social and institutional drivers,
including family expectations, cultural norms, and weak
governance, to shape migration flows. Consequences for
rural communities are multi-layered: while remittances
and return migration can support household economies
and even stimulate entrepreneurship, demographic decline,
family separation, and challenges for left-behind children
erode traditional forms of trust, participation, and
solidarity. The paper argues that migration reconfigures
social cohesion by transforming networks of reciprocity,
altering community identities, and reframing the meaning
of belonging across transnational spaces. By integrating
theoretical perspectives with empirical evidence from
Romania, the study contributes to understanding how rural
communities negotiate resilience and vulnerability in the
face of sustained out-migration. Implications for rural
policy stress the need for long-term strategies that go
beyond mitigating economic loss to strengthening social cohesion, educational opportunities, and inclusive
community development.