Contemporary Theories of Migration Flashcards
(40 cards)
▪ Oldest and most well-known
migration theory
▪ Migration driven by labor supply and
demand differences
▪ Wage gaps cause movement from
low-wage to high-wage regions
▪ Migration balances labor distribution,
adjusting wages over time
Neoclassical Economic Thoery
__________\ Perspective
▪ Regions with labor ________ → low wages
▪ Regions with labor _________ → high wages
▪ Migration occurs until wage gaps reflect movement costs
Macroeconomic Perspective
surplus = low wages
scarcity = high wage
_____________\ Perspective
▪ Individuals migrate based on cost-benefit analysis
▪ Migration = investment in human capital
Three costs include:
Microeconomic Perspective
▪ Costs include:
▪ Travel & relocation expenses
▪ Job search efforts
▪ Cultural adaptation & psychological adjustments
TRE JSE CA PA
▪ Migrants estimate future earnings vs. costs
▪ Expected earnings depend on:
▪ Wages at destination × probability of employment
▪ Minus wages at origin × probability of employment
▪ Discounted over time to determine net migration return
Decision Making Process of the Neoclassical Migration Thoery
▪ Developed countries
manage risk via:
▪ Crop insurance
▪ Unemployment benefits
▪ Pensions
CPU
▪ Challenges individual-focused neoclassical theory
▪ Migration decisions made by families, households, or
communities
▪ Motivations extend beyond income maximization
▪ Factors:
▪ Status
▪ Risk minimization
▪ Access to capital & credit
New Economics of Migration
▪ In developing areas,
households diversify
labor sources
▪ Migrants provide
financial security
through remittances
Risk Management and Income Stability
▪ Migration compensates for lack of
access to credit & capital
▪ Families send workers abroad to:
▪ Save & remit funds
▪ Substitute for borrowing
▪ Fund consumption &
productive investments
Migration as a Capital Strategy
▪ Income is not just about total earnings
▪ Households seek status improvement
▪ Migration driven by comparison with wealthier groups
▪ Reducing relative deprivation can be a key incentive
Beyond Absolute Income - Relative Deprivation
▪ Contrasts with neoclassical and new economics of migration
▪ Migration driven by structural needs of industrial societies
▪ Push factors (low wages, unemployment) are less important than pull factors (chronic labor demand) ▪ Migrant workers become structurally necessary
Segmented Labor Market Theory
▪ Wages reflect prestige & social
expectations
▪ Employers can’t simply lower
wages due to hierarchical
constraints (union contracts,
regulations)
▪ Low-status jobs remain
undesirable for native workers,
creating demand for migrants
Structural Inflation and Social Status
▪ Workers seek income +
social status
▪ Bottom-tier jobs offer no
prestige or mobility →
locals avoid them
▪ Migrants accept these
jobs as a means to an end
(e.g., remittances, savings)
Motivation and the Bottom of the Job Hierarchy
▪ Primary sector: Stable, skilled jobs,
employer investment, unionization
▪ Secondary sector: Unstable, low-skill
jobs, expendable workers
▪ Employers use migrants to fill
secondary-sector jobs due to lack of
local interest
Economic Dualism and Labor Segmentation
▪ __________ mix primary &
secondary market features
▪ Low pay & instability but offer
upward mobility for migrants
▪ Require continuous inflow of
new migrants for sustainability
The Role of Ethnic Enclaves
Rooted in historical–structural
tradition in social science
▪ Migration = Result of capitalist
expansion into non-capitalist areas
▪ Capitalist firms enter poor regions
for land, labor, and markets
World Systems Theory
Migration results from the
global expansion of capitalism
into non-capitalist or pre-
capitalist regions, creating
economic and social disruptions
that push people to migrate.
World Systems Theory of Migration
- Core capitalist regions seek land, raw materials, cheap labor,
and new consumer markets in peripheral (developing) regions. - Capitalist farming practices (land consolidation, mechanization,
cash cropping) displace traditional farmers. - Factory jobs in export-processing zones disrupt local
economies, weaken traditional labor structures, and create a
mobile workforce.
Capitalist Expansion
- Capitalist development disrupts local economies
- Traditional land tenure systems are dismantled
- Mechanization & cash crops displace agrarian workers
- Creates a mobile labor force forced to seek new opportunities
Capitalism and Migration
Second Key Mechanism in WST
Dual Effect of Global Capitalism
Peripheral regions:
* Economic displacement pushes people
out (peasants, unemployed laborers).
Core regions:
* Economic growth in global cities pulls
migrants in (demand for low-wage labor).
- Former peasants pushed into wage labor
- Global firms establish factories in
developing regions - Undermines traditional economies &
restructures gender roles - Creates socially uprooted populations
prone to migrationLabor
Labor Markets and Global Capitalism
Investments in transportation, trade,
and communication networks facilitate
migration by reducing costs and
logistical barriers.
* Global cities become migration hubs
due to their economic dominance and
ties to peripheral areas.
Third Key Mechanism in WST
Infrastructure and Transportation Links
- Economic globalization attracts migrants
to urban centers - Investment hubs need migrant labor for
logistics & production - Improved transport & communication
reduce migration costs - Economic links → Migration pathways
Migration Towards Global Cities
- Core nations maintain
geopolitical order through
military interventions and bases,
fostering migration through
social and political ties.
Fourth Key Mechanism of WST
Military and Political Influence
- Global capitalism needs security
→ Core nations deploy military - Military presence creates social &
political ties - Bases & interventions generate
migration routes
Military and Migration Links
