ListofKeyConceptsandTheoriesforMigrationandCitizenshipExam

ListofKeyConceptsandTheoriesforMigrationandCitizenshipExam

Week1:Origincountries

●MythsfromDeHaas(2005) 1.Weliveinatimeofunprecedentedmigrationandglobalizationhascausedmore peopletomigrate.a.Migrationremainsfairlyevenoverhistory,withabout2.5%to3%oftheworld's populationmigrating

b.Refugees:goesupanddownbutnotincreasing

c.Changeofdirection(SouthtoNorth)andmorevisibilityofmigrants 2.Povertyandmiseryaretherootcausesoflabourmigration a.Migratingisexpensiveandinvolvesmanyrisks,sopeoplelivinginpoverty cannotaffordtomigrate.b.Themainreasonformigratingisnotpovertybutsocio-economicdevelopment coupledwithrelativedeprivation.

3.Migrationpolicies,developmentassistanceandtradeliberalizationarethe'solutions' againstmigration.a.Socialandeconomicdevelopmentenablespeopletomigrateandincreasestheir aspirationstomigrate b.Migrationasaresourceandinvestmentintoabetterfuture 4.Migrationcan’tbeasourceofdevelopmentbecauseitprovokesabraindrain

a.Notallmigrantsarehighlyskilled:lessthan10%ofinternationalmigrationisof

best-educated

b.Reason:massunemploymentamonghighlyskilled

c.Accompaniedbybraingain:counterflowofremittances,investments,trade

relations,newknowledge,innovations,attitudesandinformation;moredesire tostudy; 5.Themoneymigrantsremittosendingcountriesismainlyspentonconspicuous consumptionandnon-productiveinvestment a.Internationalmigranthouseholdsoftentendtohaveahigherpropensityto investthandonon-migranthouseholds b.Expenditureonhousing,sanitation,healthcare,foodandschooling= improvementsinwell-beingandhumancapital

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c.Increaselocaleconomicactivity 6.Theorientationofmigrantstowardstheircountriesoforiginisanindicationofthe lackofsocialandeconomicintegrationinthereceivingcountries'societies a.Thereareexamplesofwellintegratedindividualswhoarestillveryorientated towardstheircountryoforigin b.Loyaltytosendingcountriesisnotnecessarilyinconflictwithgoodcitizenship inreceivingcountries 7.Statesareableto'manage',largelycontrolorstopmigration a.Impossibletodowithoutcurtailinghumanandcivilrights b.Abandonsvaluesofdemocraticsocieties c.Immigrationwillfindawaythroughundocumentedmigrationandhuman smuggling d.Immigrationrestrictioncanleadtomore(permanent)migration

Week2:Whydopeoplemigrate?Voluntary

●Functionalisttheories ○Economicperspective,supplyanddemand ○Increasingproductivityandcontributingtogreaterequalitywithinandbetween societies ○Individual(micro)perspective ○Migrationasachoice ○Migrationisafunctionofthesupplyanddemandoflabour

○Migrationasanequilibriumtooltooptimallydistributelabour:increasing

productivityandcontributingtogreaterequalitybetweensocieties

○Criticism:agency(actorsasrationalactorswithperfectinformation),lackof

interplaybetweendifferentnon-economicfactorstomakedecisions ●Neoclassicalapproach ○Migrationisaresponsetoinequality,discrepancyoftheeconomicopportunities availableatthedestinationandthelackofitattheplaceofresidence-leadingto amoreequaldistributionofwealth

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○Focusontheeconomicdriversofmigration.○Migrationisachoice ○Inequalitiesinwealth,labourshortages,wages ○Workersfindjobsthatfittheirskillsbetter.

○Critique:agencyismissing,doesn’texplainwhymajorityofpeopledon’t

migrate ●NewEconomicsofLabourMigration(NELM) ○Migrationisahouseholddecision,migrationisnotalwaysindividuals’decision butafamilydecision ○Migrationasaninvestment.

○Householdrisk-alleviatingstrategies:diversifyincomesourcesthrough

remittances ■Canexplainwhymigrationoccursdespitetheabsenceofwage differentials.■Proactive,deliberatedecisiontoimprovelivelihoodsandtoreduce fluctuationsinruralfamilyincomes ○Relativedeprivationwithintheoriginalcommunityasamotivatingfactor,rather thanabsolutepoverty.

○Classicalexample:Sendingonefamilymemberaboardtoworkandsendwages

back ■ThinkofwomenmigrantworkersintheUAEashouseworkerssending moneybacktofamilies,mainlyinAfrica ●Push-pullmodel

○disadvantage:itisneverentirelyclearhowthevariousfactorscombinetogether

tocausepopulationmovement,onlylistoffactorsthatmaycontributeinsome way ●Humancapitaltheoryofmigration

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