Original scientific paper

Circulation of Active Village Population

Maria Oliveira-Roca

Abstract

The aim of this work is to present
some of the main causes and
consequences of regular
circulation, i. e. commuting, of the
active population in Yugoslavia
and the world.
The reasons why the rural labour
force commutes are numerous and
interwoven. For example they are:
attachment to the land and rural
comunity, determination for life
in the rural environment and
involvment in farming in free time
and the feeling of security due to
additional income for their
household (in western Europe and
Yugoslavia); fast industrialization
with insufficient urbanization
(particularly with regard to
housing), and low wages in
non-agricultural activities (in
Eastern and Southern Europe,
including Yugoslavia); land-owning
relations and attitude to land,
insecurity and low wages in
non-agricultural occupations, the
structure of the urban economy,
uneven expansion of capitalism
followed by sectoral, social and
spacial inequalities (in developjng
countries); the degree of
development of traffic and
transportation systems and position
of the village in it, the general
standard of living in the village and
town, educational level and
tradition (in environments of
different levels of socio-economic
and cultural development).
Amongst the negative
consequences/effects of commuting
in rural areas the following are
prominent: the practice of fallow
with abandonment of exclusive
engagement in agriculture, resulting
in a decrease of agricultural
production, feminization and
aging of the population exclusively
engaged in agriculture; growth of
inequality in the distribution of
income in the area of the
commuter’s permanent residence
and between the area of work and
area of residence .
The main positive
effects/consequences of commuting
of the rural labour force in the
areas of residence are as follows:
urbanization of the village,
spreading of innovations (especially
technological) in agriculture and
transformation of agricultural
production from autarchic to that of the market, accompanied by
productivity and mechanization.
Due to the above reasons
commuting of an active labour force
has become a way of life for many
village inhabitants in developed
and developing countries.

Keywords

Hrčak ID:

121728

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/121728

Publication date:

12.1.1988.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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