Funded by the European Commission as part of a larger research programme investigating EU cooperation with third countries in the realm of migration and asylum, the study on the effects of migration on children and the elderly left behind assesses the impact recent wide-scale migration has had on some of Moldova and Georgia’s most vulnerable groups. This two-year study, begun in November 2010, will provide a comprehensive overview of the conditions of children and the elderly who have been abandoned by migrating caretakers. This study will assess the economic, psychological, social, and institutional effects of migration on family members left behind and will suggest ways in which states can mitigate the negative effects of migration via the formulation of more responsive and responsible social/social protection policies. The study is carried out in conjunction with the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (Germany) and the International Centre for Social Research and Policy Analysis (Georgia) with support from the International Organisation for Migration mission in Chisinau, Moldova.