Inequality (W9)

• change in population can be a result of migration not just births and deaths
• Migration is the third pillar of population change
• economic trajectories are linked to migration, as people move for specific personal reasons
• migration is very political in terms of governance and regulation
• migration is the movement of a person or group of persons from one geographical unto to another across an administration or political boarder, to settle in a place other than their place of origin
• immigration is the process of moving to a locality
• emigration is the process of moving away from a locality
• time and intention define migration and distinguish it from other kinds of population movement
• circulation can be short and long in both distance and time but the movement is not intended to be a permanent change in place of residence - commuting to long-term labour migrants who are on the boarder with the migration category
• three kinds of population movement are: circulation, migration and displacement
• migration is population movement with intended permanent or semi-permanent change in residence (12 months +)
• displacement population movement (temporary or permanent) that has been forced by a particular trigger event:Conflict, Environmental, development projects
• migration choice spectrum - economic to environmental to conflict to development to trafficking
• circulation - 2019: 4.5 billion individuals
• migration - 2019: 3.6% of population (272 million people)
• displacement - 2019: 84.8 million people (most internally displaced)
• push and pull factors: origin vs destination - services, governance, community/family, lifestyle, culture, WORK
• Neoclassical migration theory - win win win thesis: workers move and benefit by finding work, origin country benefits due to fewer workers meaning lower wages rise, new country benefits by more workers (alleviates)
• The misery theory (exacerbates) - migrants tend to be the most able-bodied and able-minded, which leads to ‘brain and brawn’ drain in the periphery and further misery there, as well as greater development and wealth in the ‘growth pole’ countries.
• most migrants are from middle to upper income countries
• most migrants move to a country in an equal or higher income group
• if the Neoclassical migration theory was correct we would expect to see a disproportionate number of poor migrants however this model does not take into consideration the constraints they face
• constraints on migration are due to costs and politics
• the mobility transition - as a result of economic transitions from agriculture to industrial development they move from having low levels of emigration and immigration, to first experiencing a rapid increase in emigration, and then a decline in emigration coupled with an increase in immigration (migration hump)
• Migrants from middle-income countries are often responding to low-skilled labour demands in high-income countries
• Migration flows are shaped by migrant means and aspirations, as well destination labour demands
• Remittances - Migrants remain connected to their home communities, and accept poorly paid or regulated work for as long as that connection remains strong, and assists them to reduce household risk and secure diversified livelihoods through remitting
• remitting - Sending money earned at destination, back to country/community/household of origin.
• embrace Neo to reject (skills became depleted and underdevelopment accentuated) to embrace again (due to remitting stimulating local markets; boosting local production and consumption; modernising economies and societies), and reject again (Migrant precarious and exploitation in unregulated labour markets and growth in internal inequality)
• Wealthy, powerful countries Can implement policy settings to ensure they benefit from migration. Can migrate freely
• Skilled migrants often benefit from migration, but their emigration represents a loss to their home countries. Low-skilled migrants often experience highly precarious working conditions
• Peripheral and semi-peripheral countries of emigration: Remittances are not a reliable basis for economic development.
• stock of migrants is a count of the number of migrants in a country at any one time
• net migration is the inflow minus outflow of migration (= immigration - emigration)
• large flow in one direction of migration has a significant impact on migration stock
• in the former colonial empires migrants make up an increasing share of the total population because of declining rates of natural increase in these regions