5.2 Internal migration Flashcards
What are the economic causes of rural-urban migration?
- rural employment heavily agricultural especially in LICs, which is relatively low earning and risks involved
- droughts/floods can severely affect agricultural yields and commercial agriculture is hard to compete and difficult to make profit
- urban areas have more employment opportunities (promise of economic stability)
- many graduates from university migrate to cities due to job opportunities in their specific industry
What is an example of internal migration?-
The Hukou system in China:
- chinese gov used to be very restrictive re rural-urban migration
- enormous expansion of Chinese economy in last 10 yrs has seen relaxation of this policy to meet demands of cheap labour
- from 1950s main method of controlling rural-urban migration was to register people as being either “urban” or “rural” - Hukou system and it was difficult to rural-urban migrate
- Chinese gov encouraged migration from cities to sparsely populated areas
- between 1969-1973 10-15 million young people were moved from cities
- continued until late 1970s when it was reversed to supply necessary labour for China’s economic expansion
What are the social reasons for internal migration?
- many people (especially youngsters) can often feel isolated in rural areas
- those seeking more diverse lifestyle with more opportunities may choose to move to urban areas
- public services in urban areas generally better as increased investments within urban areas
- healthcare, education, water and sanitation, transport, housing etc may be better in urban areas
What are the impacts on destination area from rural-urban migration?
Pros:
- larger workforce especially in economically active age bracket, which contributes to the economy as well as improving productivity
- brain gain- well-educated population due to unis in city work high skilled jobs
Cons:
- rapid urbanisation in areas leads to overpopulation of cities, put pressure on services e.g healthcare
- larger population=more water and higher consumption levels, can cause **environmental degradation e.g air pollution
- influx of migrants may cause local people to be unhappy can cause political problems
- quality of life may Deteriorate as area does not have the resources to cope. can lead to **squatter settlements due to too many people moving to cities and not being able to afford to live within the city
What are the impacts on source area from rural-urban migration?
Pros:
- relaxed pressure on services potentially leading to better healthcare, lowered house prices, less crime etc
Cons:
- underpopulation can arise = many jobs being unfilled and less money contributed to the economy
- businesses can close and services put under pressure due to lack of workers
- unemployment high due to underpopulation and lack of investment leads to less jobs
- brain drain as educated people move to cities for jobs
- more older/economically inactive people can lead to more pressure on services, such as care for elderly
- in many countries men more likely to migrate altering population structure to have higher proportion of women e.g Poland
What are the causes of Urban-Rural Migration?
- search for a better quality of life: crime, overpopulation, pollution and high cost of living in urban areas
- older people retiring no longer tied to urban areas for economic opportunity so move to rural areas
- Increased investments into rural areas: in HICs especially, rural areas not as isolated as previously, now more job opportunities and better services
- more links to other places: better transport links and ability to work from home means people find it increasingly easier to live in rural areas and still find economic opportunities (e.g can commute)
What are the impacts of urban-rural migration on destination area?
Pros:
- potentially brings larger workforce who contribute to economy as well as improving productivity
Cons:
- can lead increased pressure on services as they may not developed for larger populations e.g not enough homes
- lead to rises in house prices due to increased pressure. Middle class urban migrants can afford it however can stop rural locals getting onto property ladder especially youths
- larger population leads to more waste/higher consumption levels, leads to environmental degradation
- influx of migrants may cause local people to be unhappy e.g unhappy with new housing builds
- can lead to an ageing population due to lot of elderly migrations = issues of needing to provide for elderly population
What are the impacts of urban-rural migration on source area?
Pros:
- potentially relaxed pressure on services as people have left urban area
Cons:
- in extreme cases, struggling industrial areas may go through deindustrialisation as there is not large enough working population to support industry = dereliction and economic decline
- decrease in wealthier, older population could potentially affect businesses in urban areas, as less money is being spent in area = decline in businesses/economic activity
- average age of area may be younger as cannot afford to move and may lead to rise in anti-social behaviour
How is stepped migration involved in internal migration?
- often takes place as stepped migration
- stepped migration occurs when a migrant reaches their destination in a number of steps or stages, rather than in one movement from source-destination
- e.g migrants may move up the settlement hierarchy migrating from their home village to local market town and from there to a regional or capital city
- through process of counter-urbanisation migrants may do these steps in reverse, as they look to live in a rural environment
What are the benefits of stepped migration?
- gives migrants a small trial/taste of what migrating will mean, but reduces risk as they are still able to maintain contact with familiar locations
- lets them sample a new culture and language and access any possible situations
- helps reduce cost and allows them to save up for the next step
- allows skills to be acquired along the way
- can return home if needed/wanted
What are the different types of intra-urban movements?
- centripetal flows, such as re-urbanisation
- centrifugal flows, such as to the suburbs
- other movements, such as from a shanty town into new housing
What are the impacts on urban areas from intra-urban movements?
- certain demographics are concentrated in certain areas of urban settlements, this can potentially segregate people of different ages/different incomes
- in times where housing is limited, rich people cant still afford to buy houses, means house prices may be driven up in already more expensive urban areas, further segregation people as well as making it difficult for young families to buy own home
- in areas generally **older people migrate to, there may be issues arising from older population, e.g more healthcare needed
- social issues e.g crime and burglary can be concentrated within inner city areas where low-income people live
What are the causes of rural-urban migration in Brazil?
ECONOMIC:
Mechanisation of farming:
- now more efficient, so fewer people needed
- unemployed move looking for work (especially common on big sugar estates in north-east of Brazil)
Industrialisation:
- better paid jobs
PHYSICAL:
Natural hazards:
- long droughts in inland north-east areas of Brazil
- many peasant farmers given and moved
SOCIAL:
more interesting lifestyle
more opportunities
Better amenities and services (Schools)
Rural population growth:
- many villages now have clean water and proper sewage disposal
- reduces death rate and population grows, farms can’t support all the extra people so they move to the cities
What are the impacts of rural-urban migration in Brazil?
Destination:
ECONOMIC:
- extra workers led to rapid industrial growth and increase in Brazil’s GDP and tax revenues
- however, many workers are paid low wages and they can’t afford a proper house
- led to the growth of shanty towns (favelas)
- not everyone found jobs, so informal economy flourished, but did not pay taxes so council struggled to raise funds for improved housing/services
SOCIAL:
- urban services, such as schools/hospitals struggled to cope with increased demand
- overcrowding severe and increased air pollution/traffic congestion
How is rural-urban migration in Brazil being managed?
- gov encouraged TNCs to move and set up new factories e.g Fiat
- ensured more people were employed in formal economy and so paying taxes
- ‘self-help’ schemes set up by council where locals provided with materials needed to improve houses
- council sometimes build the shell of a house and rent to tenants who would finish it off (would have clean water and other facilities)
- improved public transport = less congestion, Curitiba in south-east brazil now has one of the most sustainable transport systems in the world
