The tunnels are a prerequisite for living here: Lessons from the Faroe Islands on how push-pull factors affect populations in small remote communities

Small remote communities in the Nordic countries face unique challenges
due to their geographical isolation, limited resources, and sparse population. The
latter is affected by migration, which can have both positive and negative
implications for the development of communities. Therefore, understanding the
factors influencing migration patterns is essential for ensuring balanced regional
development. This paper focuses on the population trends over the last two
centuries in the Faroe Islands; more specifically, in the two small remote
communities Hvannasund and Viðareiði in the Northern Islands. The overall
theoretical framework applied is the push-pull migration concept. By examining
the push-pull factors that drive migration patterns in these communities, the
paper explores the impact on socio-economic development, and by analyzing the
interplay between these factors, this study aims to provide insights into the
dynamics of movements and their implications for the development of small
remote communities. The main findings are that economic factors are the main
push-pull factors that can explain the population changes in the investigated
communities, while the social/demographic, political, and environmental factors
to a lesser degree can explain the fluctuations but impact the more linear trends
over time.