ABSTRACT
Migration to Europe is a well-established phenomenon, although the intensity, patterns, and composition of migration flows have varied greatly over time and across European countries. This chapter focuses on the pendular migration of the older first-generation migrants in Europe who periodically travel back and forth between their host and home countries. It then challenges few of them by providing a review of the existing literature, together with results from the own work. Pendular migration is commonly considered in public and policy debates as a temporary phenomenon. No strong empirical evidence was found either for the second common belief that pendular migration is a second-best option. Governments, health care providers, and public agencies can play an important role in ensuring a "good old age" for pendular migrants, whose number is likely to increase in the future. During the economic boom after World War II, most migration was the product of a spontaneous decision in response to labor demand.
