Geography 1.2 Migration

Seite 1

The Nature Of And Reasons For Population Migration

Migration is the movement of people across a specified boundary, national or international, to establish a new permanent place of residence. The UN defines 'permanent' as a change of residence lasting more than one year.

Push & Pull Factors

Push factors are negative conditions at the point of origin which encourage or force people to move, for e.g. unemployment issues.

Pull factors are positive conditions at the point of destination which encourage people to move there, for e.g. higher wages.

Voluntary And Involuntary Migrations

Immigration laws present the greatest obstacle to most potential international migrants whereas in the past the physical dangers encountered on the journey often presented the greatest difficulty. The cost of migration was also generally higher in the past.

In voluntary migration, the individual has the choice of whether to migrate or not. Involuntary migrations, people are made to move against their will, due to human or environmental factors.

An internally displaced person (IDP) is someone who is forced to flee his or her home but who remains within his or her country boarders.

Recent migration data shows that:

Migration has become increasingly temporary and circular in nature due to the increase of labor-related migration and international student mobility.

The majority of international migrants move from developing to developed countries.

Developed countries have reinforced controls, in part in response to security issues, but also to combat illegal immigration, and trafficking networks.

Globalization in all its aspects has led to an increased awareness of opportunities in other countries. With advances in transportation and communication and a reduction in the real cost of both, the world's population has never had a higher level of potential mobility. Economic and social development has made people more mobile and created the conditions for emigration.

Internal Population Movements

Internal population movement is at a much higher level than international migration.

Significant movement of people take place from poorer regions to richer regions as people seek employment and higher standards of living.

In developing countries, this is usually rural-to-urban migration.

Developed countries had their own period of rural-to-urban migration in the nineteenth century and the early part of the twentieth century.

Depopulation and Counter-urbanisation

The process of urbanisation has had a considerable impact on many rural areas where depopulation has occurred because of it.

Depopulation is an absolute decline in the population of an area usually due to a high-level of out-migration.

Counter-urbanisation is the process of population decentralisation as people move from large urban areas to smaller urban settlements and rural areas. The objective is usually to seek a better quality of life by getting away from the problems of large cities. This is often referred to as 'population turnaround'.

Seite 2

The Impacts Of Migration

fig 9 (impacts of international migration)

Impacts On Countries Of Origin

Remittances (most positive impact on country of origin) are money sent back by migrants to their families in their home community.

Loss of workers with important skills - the so-called brain-drain effect.

Impacts On Countries Of Destination

[Positive]

Any increase in the labor force is generally welcomed by business, particularly if the migrants have skills that are in short supply.

Great competition in the labor force tends to limit wage rises which helps to keep inflation low, which is an important factor in economic stability.

Many people value an increase in cultural diversity which can enrich communities.

An influx of young migrants can help to reduce the rate of population aging and lower the dependency ratio.

[Negative]

Puts pressure on available housing stock, causes overcrowding and pushes up prices.

Increases demand on health, education and other services.

Employment opportunities will decrease due to increase of competition for work.

When significant change in ethnic balance occurs, tensions between ethnic groups will increase.

Impacts On Migrants Themselves

[Positive]

The prospects of higher wages

A wider choice of job opportunities

The chance to develop new skills

Developing language skills

[Negative]

Financial cost of migration

Separation from family and friends

Risk of exploitation

Finding housing and employment

The Costs and Benefits Of Internal Migration

Fig 11 The costs and returns of migration