Migration + Identity

• Globalisation has led to an increase in both internal and international migration
• As of 2014, 230 million people lived in a country that wasn't their place of birth (approx. 3-4% of the global population)
• Reasons for increase in migration


  • Advancement of transport networks to allow people to travel easily to other countries
  • Rise in global trading
• Most international migration is regionalised, like Mexicans to America or Poland to Germany
• Uneven economic growth


  May be linked originally to a natural advantage over other countries, such as a coastline or raw materials
• Initial imbalances in economic growth


  Have been exaggerated over time due to the outflow of migrants, resources and investment
• The number of people migrating internationally has risen rapidly and from 1950 to 2015, the global population grew rapidly from 2.5 billion to 7.3 billion
• In the 1990s, international migration occurred mainly to world destinations like New York and Paris. Now, many cities in developing countries (e.g. Mumbai and Lagos) have become major hubs for migration
• Japan


  • Population is declining
  • 27% are aged 65 and over
  • Working age population expected to drop to 44 million by 2037, half of what it was in 2007
  • Only 1.7% of population are immigrants (compared to 5% in most advanced economies)
  • Requires 17 million migrants by 2050 to maintain 2007 population levels
  • Migration limited due to Japanese not being an international language and closed-door policies
• Australia


  • Immigration policy strictly based on skills and employment
  • 70% of immigrants came to work in areas with skills shortages
  • Immigrants contribute 10% more per capita than non-immigrants
  • Ageing population balanced by young migrants
  • Only 190,000 economic migrants allowed to enter in 2013
• Singapore


  • Population consists of a very high percentage of foreign workers
  • Great ethnic diversity
  • World's 4th largest financial centre with many TNCs
  • Many international schools to cater to migrants
• Causes of international migration

  • Voluntary economic migration
  • Refugees
  • Asylum seekers
  • Environmental refugees
  • International students
• The flows of international migration will continue to change over time, as environmental, political and economic events occur and a country's development improves or declines
• Rationale for encouraging migration

  • Ensures economic output is optimised
  • Allows free movement of goods, capital and labour
• Rationale against encouraging migration

  • Concerns over national culture and identity
  • Fears of job losses for locals
  • National security concerns
• Opportunity to migrate


  • Depends on government policies, physical environment, and migrant's education and skills
  • Australia restricts migrants to mainly skilled individuals
  • Singapore divides migrants into foreign workers and foreign talent
  • Rise of smugglers means migrants need money to migrate illegally
• State


  A territory that no other country has power or sovereignty over
• Nation


  A group of people who lack sovereignty
• Nation states don't necessarily have a single culture or language, and the borders (both physical and political) between states are often contested
• Cultural unity within a state

  • Can result from historic migration or a single ethnic group due to physical location or political isolation
• Establishing national borders


  • Natural borders like lakes, mountains or rivers
  • Colonial or political intervention that may not account for differences between social groups
• Contested border examples


  • Ukraine and Crimea
  • Taiwan
  • Syria and Iraq
• Between 1500 and 1900, many European powers had built global empires
• By 1880 Britain controlled a third of the world's land surface and over a quarter of the world's population
• The empires disintegrated following World War 1 due to the high cost of war, growing resistance to foreign rule, rapid population growth, and European countries becoming less dependent on raw materials from their colonies
• Newly discovered South America was invaded and colonised by the Spanish whilst the UK, France and Belgium colonised parts of Asia and Africa
• British culture spread across South Asia (sports, language, customs) through local governance and education, controlled by the UK
• As a result, many previously-colonial states now have the Union Jack within their own flag
• The empires disintegrated following World War 1
• Reasons for the disintegration of empires

  • The high cost of war had left the UK almost bankrupt
  • There was growing resistance to foreign rule and the rise of independence political groups
  • Rapid population growth was a major problem for the UK government
  • European countries were becoming less dependent on raw materials from their colonies
• Some independent states (Vietnam, Sudan, etc) were left unable to successfully govern themselves, which has lead to many conflicts and wars following the end of the Imperial Era
• The conflict has been costly to their development, natural environment and in terms of human fatalities
• In 1948, the British Nationality Act gave all commonwealth citizens an equal right to legally settle in the UK
• As a result many employers filled skills gaps with commonwealth migrants, such as in the London Underground and the NHS
• Types of commonwealth migrants

  • Skilled migrants worked as healthcare professionals
  • Less skilled workers worked in the manufacturing industries, especially in the textile towns of Lancashire and Yorkshire
• There was cultural clustering, with commonwealth families moving into the same areas to share opportunities, create networks of family support and to limit their isolation
• This clustering can be seen today, with the growth of some commonwealth communities becoming important parts of major cities
• Many TNCs have relocated their headquarters to countries such as Ireland, Switzerland and Luxembourg due to low corporate tax rates
• In 2015, the UK corporation tax rate was around 20% but it was around 10% in Switzerland
• TNCs sometimes also consider the support from the local government, including financial bail, infrastructure construction and economic incentives to relocate there