Certain Current Issues of Demographic and Economic Aspects of the Research of Slovene Emigration

The author of this paper shows the underdevelopment of the demographic and economic aspects of the research of Slovenian emigration. Establishment of the Slovenian demographic institute would have been successful way to overcome of some major drawbacks of our migration research and the design and the implementation of Slovenian migration policy. It is also very likely, according to the author, that Slovenian will become in the near future the part of broader European migration system.

During the period of demographic transition Slovenia belonged to the European regions with the highest emigration. In fact, it was in the group of the countries of new emigration together with some other Southern and Eastern European countries. After the World War II Slovenia has transformed into the country with the positive net migration. This is, very likely, the reason for the domination of the history in the scientific research in the field of Slovenian emigration. The author of this paper is the partisan of the broader scientific approach to the emigration from Slovenia which would have been achieved, most easily, with the establishment of the Slovenian Demographic Institute. Modern migration is important part of the demographic situation in every country. Therefore, the demographic research should play important role in the field of migration research. It is also necessary to design, to accept and to implement migration policy in Slovenia which would somehow unite Slovenian emigrants with the new independent Slovenian state and to prevent new mass emigration from our country.

Demographic and economic aspects of the research of Slovenian emigration are missing in important part of our migration research. Few demographers and economists wrote mostly about some general connections between economic and demographic situation in Slovenia and mass emigration from the country. We have also some literature on the temporary economic emigration in the period from the 1960s to the 1980s.

In the future, Slovenia will be the part of broader European migration system. Its role in the system Will depend on economic development and political stability of the country. However, the most important feature of our migration policy in the future decades should be adaptability to the broader European migration trends, patterns and policies.