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An increasing number of Turkish Dutch, the Netherlands' largest ethnic minority group, are beginning to return to their country of origin, taking with them the education and skills they have acquired abroad, as the Netherlands faces challenges from economic difficulties and socio-political tensions. At the same time, Turkey's political, social and economic conditions have been improving, making returning home all the more appealing for Turkish migrants at large. The authors provide explanations about the push and pull factors of return migration among Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands. The factors influencing return to one's country of origin are, for example, the social and political climate, labour market participation and social integration in the host society, including discrimination and carrier prospects. It is assumed that remigration is more affected by positive developments in the country of origin than by negative developments in the country of residence. It is recommended that civil society, the business world and the Dutch government develop return-on-investment policies in order to bind these capable people to the Netherlands, at least in the form of 'brain circulation' so that they can serve as bridge builders and knowledge workers between the two countries.
In recent years, articles have been frequently published in the Dutch news media about the return migration of highly skilled Dutch citizens of Turkish origin (Turkish Dutch) to their motherland. This theme is common within the Turkish community in the Netherlands and it has also caught the interest of both the public and the politicians. It is assumed that Turkish-Dutch youth are seriously thinking about migrating back to Turkey.
This is one aspect of the return migration to which this article pays attention. The other aspect is: if the knowledge of educated Turkish Dutch disappears, does the Netherlands lose out? The current article focuses on this dual problem and seeks explanations about the influence of push and pull factors on the return migration of Turkish Dutch. We also attempt to answer how the Netherlands can utilise optimally the second and third generation Turks with university degrees who are leaving the Netherlands for Turkey ('brain circulation').
In addition to a systematic review of the literature - newspaper articles, documents and websites - we have participated in...