Sociological Evaluation of the Influence of International Migration on the Socio-Economic Development of the Rostov Region

Abstract

Introduction. In Russia, migration is currently considered to be an important resource for replenishing the population, although the population growth resulting from migration is quite slow. Russia’s Concept of the State Migration Policy until 2025 has been revised in order to improve the situation and ensure the inflow of foreign labor migrants. The goal of this article, based on the results of the conducted study, is to reveal the attitude of the population of the host community (Rostov Region) towards an increase in the flow of foreign labor migrants in the current socio-economic circumstances, as well as the expert evaluation of the effectiveness of handling the migration situation at the regional level. Materials and Methods. The object of study conducted was the migration situation in the Rostov Region, which is one of the leaders in the socio-economic development of the macroregion and the border area of ​​the South of Russia. A survey was conducted among the general public (n = 300) using the method of standardized interviews, among university students (n = 200), using the method of questionnaire, and among experts (n = 30) using the method of semi-structured interviews. The constructivist approach was adopted as the conceptual foundation of the analysis performed. This enabled the author to use various methods of surveying the population, including university students and the expert community. Results. The performed analysis of the collected empirical material has revealed that most people in the region use the results of migrant labour in various sectors of the economy without treating migrants as competitors in the regional labor market and do not feel any noticeable influence of migrants on their lives. Experts are more critical of the prospects of integrating migrants, perceiving the growth of their number as a threat to the cultural identity of the host community. Discussion and Conclusion. Dynamic development of a region requires proactive migration policies, largely based on the loyalty of the population, including young people, to foreign migrants and their positive attitude towards integration. The analysis of the collected material has been targeted at the regional authorities implementing migration policies. The research results may prove useful to civil society institutions promoting interaction between migrants and the host community.