Diasporas, remittances and economic development: A case study of the Bardejov region in Slovakia

The principal aim of this study is to analyse the migratory patterns in the Bardejov district in Slovakia, with a special emphasis on the job search mechanisms of emigrants. The study also examines the impact of migrant workers' remittances on economic development. The study is primarily based on data obtained during the survey conducted in the Bardejov district in Slovakia in February - March 2009.;Key words: migration, development, remittances, social networks.;The study found out that social networks with its beneficial externalities turn out to be the most effective job search mechanism of emigrants from the Bardejov district. The study also reveals that the emigrants' choices of particular job search mechanisms are preconditioned by their socio-economic characteristics, especially by level of their education. Secondly, the study also found that worker remittances in the Bardejov district are used for investment in human capital rather than in physical capital and this indirectly enhances economic development of the region.