Doctoral Dissertation Research: When Locals Adapt to Newcomers

This project investigates the effects affluent newcomers have on poor communities in a developing region when they become a newcomer community of lifestyle migrants. Some are retirees who hope to stretch their pensions by living in a cheaper location and some are younger people looking for adventure, a slower pace of life, or cheaper cost of living in a beautiful place. This project advances the study of migration and mixing, gentrification in rural communities, and retirement, specifically filling a gap in understanding how privileged migrants affect local economies and social relations.