A qualitative approach

The study adopted a research approach utilised successfully in previous comparative work on gender and migration (Ackers, 1998). A particular feature of this lay in the combination of legal and policy analysis with the development of qualitative approaches centred on life history interviews as the basis of investigation. While there is not hing unique about the use of qualitative methods in this kind of research, their application across six countries is relatively novel and raises some real challenges in maintaining effective research partnerships and meaningful collaboration. The success of this approach was very much facilitated by the continuing use of established partnerships.

The research sought to examine a range of issues using qualitative approaches. These included: reasons for the selection of particular destinations; an assessment of the reasons for migration or (any) return; and the experiences of moving to, and residing in, a particular region in terms of access to welfare services and healthcare. They also considered the impact of migration on family networks and caring resources. As such the book can be seen in part as an exploration of transnational kinship.

The interviews thus focused on:

• • the characteristics of the population of retirement migrants including financial, marital and family status;

• • migration motivations and factors affecting mobility and future plans;

• • post-migration experiences in terms of access to, and experiences of, health and welfare services including informal family-based care.

The sample

The research objectives of this study demanded a broad approach encapsulating the experiences of the range of retirement migrants (post-retirement migrants, returning workers, and returning retirees) from across the EU. Unlike a number of recent British studies of IRM, this study was not solely concerned with the population of retired British expatriates in southern Europe. The sample thus included a number of southern European locations, a Scandinavian country and the UK. We had also originally included the Netherlands in order to capture an example of continental Europe. A decision was taken, however, to replace this country with Ireland. This change reflected recent interest in Ireland as a retirement location.

Generally speaking the population of post-retirement migrants is highly clustered, suggesting a focus on certain countries and regions (often coastal and tourist locations). Research partnerships were established in Greece, Portugal and Italy reflecting the movement of northern Europeans to these areas and the incidence of labour migration from these areas and subsequent return.