This chapter discusses the combined impact of international and internal migration on Albanian development at the meso- and macro-levels. I first examine how the villages of origin and the areas of destination in Tirana and Korçë have been transformed by migration. Then, I enlarge the analysis to encompass issues at a national level, including secondary data from various published reports and opinions expressed by key informants and national experts on issues of development and migration. The analysis at each of these two levels includes three major dimensions that reflect the links between migration and development: the economic – related to financial remittances, inequality and underdevelopment; the socio-cultural – related to social remittances; and demography and gender.

The village, the city and the rural town

In this part of the chapter we climb up one step from the individual and the family to investigate the impact of internal and international migration at the community level. I start by looking at issues of inequality in the rural areas of origin, followed by a more focused discussion on the transformation of agriculture. I then consider the impact of financial remittances at the local level, before continuing with social remittances. Finally, I examine issues of gender and demography.

Migration and inequality in rural areas

The rural areas of origin in Devoll, like the rest of south and south-east Albania, have been significantly affected by both internal and international migration. Their impact, combined with the wider post-communist transformations, can be distinguished at a number of levels. First, there are the abandoned houses whose gardens have been overgrown with wild vegetation, while the outside gates are overcome by rust. These belong to emigrants – usually to North America – who have never returned since leaving. Other migrants, especially those living in Thessaloniki and in Tirana or Korçë, have made repairs to their houses, although they only use them as holiday homes now. ‘I keep the house keys for several families in the village,’ a village head (known in Albanian as a kryetar i fshatit) told me during our interview. Second, there is the demographic factor that I discuss later on in this section. Third, large Greek-looking villas have sprouted close to the main village roads, contrasting with the architecture of most of the other houses, especially older ones (refer back to Photo set 10).