Early Career Stage Academics and Their Expatriation Destination: What Drives Their City Choice in Enhancing Regional Sustainability?
Abstract
:1. Introduction
Theoretical Background
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. The Context of the Universities
2.2. The Context of the Host Cities
2.3. Data Collection
2.4. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Impression Frame
3.1.1. Cues from Online Sources
“I had never been in Amsterdam before deciding to move, so that was a hard decision. But I looked a bit on Google. On the internet, there are a lot of websites for expats in the Netherlands; it is clear that a lot of people like Amsterdam, so there is no reason that I will not like it, you know?” (R1)
“It is hard to tell, but it kind of felt like a hotspot in Europe, because I have heard of people who went there for the weekend or to have a Bachelor Party. It was kind of attracting people to go there. I saw it online; it is nice.” (R2)
3.1.2. Cues from Offline Sources
“So, when I think about Copenhagen, me and my father think about Europe. I knew that it is somewhere I would be happy to go to. I don’t think I would have wanted to go to the U.S., Africa or Australia. My father had traveled a lot to European countries, so there is always a positive attitude toward Europe in my household.” (R30)
“Because I just had people who I knew had already done it and in this specific university, I could rely on experiences from other people. And this was really giving me, in this highly uncertain situation, security and guidance. And then, I really felt very good making this decision. Because although there were a lot of uncertainties, I still knew that other people had done exactly this.” (R5)
3.2. Livable City Frame
3.2.1. Cues from Physical City Features
“In Copenhagen, I imagined that I would have the option to go to museums and to have the option to go to nice restaurants and cafes. How are the people like? What does the city life look like? That is really interesting to me, as well as the green areas. All these things suggest how livable the city is.” (R26)
“I had some experience living in Amsterdam, like going over the canals and attending the university.” (R14)
3.2.2. Cues from Nonphysical City Features
“I know about the bicycles, but I also heard about the things that make Amsterdam popular for tourists. I mean, for instance, the red light district or the coffee shops. Yeah, I also know about cheese. For that reason, I felt I could go out there and have fun. So, I can have a really balanced and calm life.” (R9)
“The impression about Amsterdam in my mental script is that it embraces diversity. So yeah, I thought it might be an exciting city, you know. And it is the first country to allow gay marriage [...] overall, it is a country that is very open. So that is why it made me think okay, it is a good place to go and it is an exciting city.” (R20)
3.3. Familiarity Frame
3.3.1. Cues Associated with the Home Country
“I think I felt it would be an easy move to Copenhagen because not much would change and because the culture is similar; I think it helped a lot that it was in Europe. The entire culture is quite the same. It doesn’t really feel to me that I’m living abroad.” (R22)
“I would say that my home city is also a bit different from other cities in Poland. It is called the city of freedom and is where the Solidarity Movement was born. And Amsterdam, I also perceived to be a city of freedom, because you know, you can really feel free when you are riding a bike; you can go wherever you want. And, yeah, it is just a comparable feeling like, two cities of freedom.” (R14)
3.3.2. Cues from Previous Experiences Abroad
“I had to move within six weeks’ notice and I was like, okay, I’m going to do it. No problem. And I’ve never felt it was easy, but I thought it was fine. And I think that this is because I had done that before.” (R21)
“Berlin was for me a place where you need a lot of money; like, I was in a super new building. Also, in Berlin, where everyone was speaking only German, I found it very hard to make friends there. And Bordeaux was a place that I loved; the city, it was amazing to live there, but the quality of the research conducted there is not that good, and I think that Amsterdam has it all.” (R16)
“Okay, so why I moved here, what was important for me? Okay, so I already knew the city from my master’s program, and I actually really fell in love with Amsterdam.” (R5)
3.4. Expectation Frame
3.4.1. Cues Associated with Future Career Expectations
“It did impact my career in that I would never have done a PhD because I never planned to do a PhD. And, in my country, it is not so developed as it is here. And it is also not encouraged as much.” (R10)
“Well, one of the most important things is the balanced lifestyle, I would say, when I compare my PhD life now with the PhD life of my friends who are studying in the US. I saw them leave their lab at 10 or 11 pm. And come to their lab in the morning at 8 am. And even sometimes during the weekends, or at least one of the days on weekends. Well, they get paid for that; they get much, I would say, they get much more money than I get now. But there should be some time to, you know, spend that money to have a happier life. But they do not have that time. I mean, they fulfill their life by working, working, working. And I do not like that.” (R14)
3.4.2. Cues Associated with Political Stability
“Copenhagen is known as a very safe and prosperous place. I think, politically, both me and my girlfriend are reasonably left wing, and therefore, we thought to find a very humane society where there is low inequality and there are good opportunities for women; it is sort of a good safety net. So, there is an egalitarian culture that we admire as well.” (R31)
“Politic wise, it is important that they (host country nationals) are open minded so that they are willing to take me. I do not want to be someone who is not wanted. At the moment, there are many countries where I would feel unwanted.”
4. Discussion and Conclusions
5. Practical Implications
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Respondents | Gender | Year of Birth | Home Country | Host City | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
R1 | Female | 1995 | France | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R2 | Male | 1993 | Germany | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R3 | Female | 1986 | Indonesia | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R4 | Female | 1991 | Germany | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R5 | Female | 1992 | Germany | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R6 | Female | 1987 | China | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R7 | Female | 1990 | Germany | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R8 | Male | 1992 | China | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R9 | Female | 1989 | Brazil | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R10 | Male | 1986 | Iran | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R11 | Female | 1986 | Germany | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R12 | Female | 1993 | Hungary | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R13 | Male | 1995 | France | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R14 | Female | 1987 | Greece | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R15 | Female | 1989 | Poland | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R16 | Female | 1988 | China | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R17 | Female | 1990 | Portugal | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R18 | Male | 1988 | Iran | Amsterdam | PhD Candidate |
R19 | Male | 1988 | Australia | Copenhagen | PhD Candidate |
R20 | Female | 1983 | Netherlands | Copenhagen | PhD Candidate |
R21 | Female | 1990 | Germany | Copenhagen | PhD Candidate |
R22 | Female | 1993 | Netherlands | Copenhagen | PhD Candidate |
R23 | Female | 1994 | Germany | Copenhagen | PhD Candidate |
R24 | Male | 1992 | Germany | Copenhagen | PhD Candidate |
R25 | Male | 1994 | Columbia | Copenhagen | PhD Candidate |
R26 | Female | 1995 | Germany | Copenhagen | PhD Candidate |
R27 | Male | 1991 | Netherlands | Copenhagen | PhD Candidate |
R28 | Female | 1991 | Switzerland | Copenhagen | PhD Candidate |
R29 | Female | 1990 | Finland | Copenhagen | PhD Candidate |
R30 | Female | 1991 | Pakistan | Copenhagen | PhD Candidate |
R31 | Male | 1993 | United Kingdom | Copenhagen | PhD Candidate |
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Arifa, Y.N.; Khapova, S.N.; El Baroudi, S. Early Career Stage Academics and Their Expatriation Destination: What Drives Their City Choice in Enhancing Regional Sustainability? Sustainability 2022, 14, 14712. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214712
Arifa YN, Khapova SN, El Baroudi S. Early Career Stage Academics and Their Expatriation Destination: What Drives Their City Choice in Enhancing Regional Sustainability? Sustainability. 2022; 14(22):14712. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214712
Chicago/Turabian StyleArifa, Yustika N., Svetlana N. Khapova, and Sabrine El Baroudi. 2022. "Early Career Stage Academics and Their Expatriation Destination: What Drives Their City Choice in Enhancing Regional Sustainability?" Sustainability 14, no. 22: 14712. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214712