migration - social development

migration - social development

1. international migration

   • Poland the UK
     • 2004 - the A8 (Lithuania, Poland etc.) joined the EU allowing freedom of movement to the UK, Sweden and Ireland
       • by 2006, 370,000 Polish people entered the UK, 80% of which aged 18-34)
         • balance the dependency ratio to combat the ageing population
     • pull factors: Polish GNI per capita = $26,000 UK GNI per capita = $42,000
   • Peterborough 1 in 10 of the population are immigrants
     • primary schools have to cope with as much as 24 different languages. there is strain on small GP services
     • fastest growing economy in the UK. migrants fill low-skilled, low-payed jobs in agriculture and manufacturing. business owners say that migrant workers work harder than British workers

2. internal migration

   • west to east (rural to urban) movement of economic migrants - the largest ever migration in the world's history. push factors: rural deprivation - unemployment. average incomes are only 20% of urban incomes. pull factors: higher wage jobs in manufacturing/cleaning
     • advantages for the east: low-skilled labour to fill jobs in special economic zones. businesses can pay the minimum wage - profit. thriving economies and growth in wealth e.g. more shopping centres. increased demand for energy means China is using more renewables.
     • disadvantages for the east: congestion, pollution, GHG emissions and pressure on services like transport and healthcare. car accidents are the leading cause of death for people under 45 years because more and more people can afford to buy cars. higher demand for resources like water and food. this is increasing water scarcity in the north. economic leakage: an average rural migrant sends 80% of their earnings back home to their families. the development gap is widening.
     • advantage for the west: remittances can be spent on food, education, farming machinery like a tractor so they can sustain a basic standard of living. families with at least one migrant worker in their family are almost automatically lifted above the national poverty line.
     • disadvantages for the west: families are divided. brain drain. leaves an ageing population as 61% of migrants are aged 16-30.
     • once in the east, migrants are faced with discrimination, poor working/living conditions and low wages. unregistered rural migrants could be imprisoned if caught

3. a lack of development may lead to migration

   • Syria
     • 2011 Arab Spring uprisings escalated into a brutal civil war that is still ongoing. Assad Government VS Free Syrian Army. 2017: more than 5 million people have fled Syria. population fell by 22%
       • lack of development due to conflict: 75% live in poverty. 45% of hospitals out of service. HDI rank 173 out of 188. lack of doctors, teachers and other professionals