SOME OBSERVATIONS ON MIGRATION WITHIN AND FROM THE FORMER USSR IN THE 1990S

Patterns of population distribution revealed from 1989 census data are used to assess how future population movements could be affected by current political, social, and economic changes. Much migration in the USSR has reflected central planning decisions as much as the spontaneous decisions of individuals. To the extent that the influence of the command economy diminishes and a market economy emerges, major new directions of migration flows can be expected. The return of ethnic "expatriates" to home republics can be expected to increase, as can economic migration to areas with favorably perceived economic prospects, and migration to Central and Western Europe.