Tackling Poverty-migration Linkages: Evidence from Ghana and Egypt

Are migrants able to use the migration experience to their benefit, that is to improve their livelihoods, and is this result nuanced by whether migrants are poor or non-poor? This paper explores these questions quantitatively using data on migrants and non-migrants from Ghana and Egypt. It describes the main challenges in the empirical literature and introduces a conceptual model to explore the links between migration and poverty. The empirical model accounts for the direct effects of migration on poverty and for the role of migration in moderating the dynamics of poverty. Results show the selectivity of migration with respect to subjective poverty and that migration can have a significant impact on helping people improve their livelihoods. The paper further finds that selectivity with respect to human capital depends on ‘reasons for migration’ and visa status. These findings enrich existing empirical studies by providing a clear estimation of sequential events and enable policymakers to better understand the processes behind migration and poverty.     

基于就业稳定性差异的农民工创业影响因素研究

从就业稳定性差异的视角,基于不同就业特征农民工群体进入自雇创业因果机制的差异,对人力与社会资本在稳定就业与不稳定就业农民工自雇创业中的作用进行比较研究。利用实地调查数据的检验,发现人力与社会资本对不同就业特征农民工群体自雇创业的作用方式不同:不稳定就业群体人力资本中的教育程度越低,社会资本桥梁性越高,越可能进入自雇创业;稳定就业群体人力资本中的城市工作时间越长,社会资本内聚性特征越强,越有可能进入自雇创业。     

The role of visa class in the location choices of immigrants in Australia at the regional and neighbourhood scales

Australia’s pro-immigration policies have played a vital role in national population growth, serving to address what would otherwise be chronic labour shortages and population ageing. While migrants to Australian have shown a clear preference for cities and tend to locate with co-ethnics, variations by visa class—employment, family reunification, and asylum—have yet to be fully explored. This paper aims to identify variations in settlement patterns of immigrants in Australia by visa types and the factors underpinning these choices, paying particular attention to ethnic networks and employment opportunities. We apply a series of negative binomial regressions to aggregate census data linked to visa status. At the suburb level, our results show the importance of the presence of compatriots in shaping the location choices of family migrants, with the exception of skilled and humanitarian immigrants from China, Malaysia and Thailand. At the regional level, skilled migrants, including skilled regional migrants, respond to employment opportunities to a greater extent than family and humanitarian migrants.

     

中国农村地区的家庭禀赋与外出务工劳动力回流

中国农村地区家庭禀赋对个人的行为决策有着重要的影响,需要学术界予以更多的关注。为了考察外生性的家庭禀赋对劳动力就业流动的影响,文章通过构建新生代外出务工劳动力和户主子女的回流决策两个计量模型来进行经验论证。分析结果表明,农村劳动力的迁移选择是综合考虑家庭禀赋状况的理性决策,尤其是对于年轻一代的外出劳动力。家庭经济资本的增加会阻碍家庭外出务工成员的回流。外出劳动力回流的概率起初随着家庭人力资本和家庭自然资本的增长而上升,达到一定程度后开始下降。家庭成员只有拥有较为丰富的人力资本,外出务工劳动力才能对家庭社会资本加以充分利用。另外,分析显示年轻一代劳动力和第一代劳动力对家庭社会资本和自然资本的利用是有差异的。     

浅析人力资本、职业选择与失业风险

引入失业事件发生风险概念 ,揭示人力资本、职业选择与失业的关系 ,进一步探讨人力资本及人力资本积累在个人生命周期中实现就业的作用。阐明个人就业过程中应注意的问题 ;指出职业选择在个人生命周期中对就业状况的重要影响     

城市外来人口劳动福利获得歧视分析

文章以2008年四大城市的外来人口问卷调查资料为基础,对比分析了本地市民、外来市民和农民工在劳动福利总量及具体福利项目获得上存在的差异及其影响因素,并测算了外来人口所受到的歧视程度。结果表明,三群体在劳动福利获得上存在梯度差异;劳动合同和城市因素对各群体的影响均显著,农民工受人力资本和社会禀赋的双重影响,本地市民和外来市民则受雇主类型的影响较大;与本地市民相比,农民工和外来市民在劳动福利获得上均存在歧视,且前者所受歧视程度大于后者。与外来市民相比,农民工在社会保险参与率上存在歧视,但在假期获得上不存在歧视。     

Mobility Regimes in Practice: Later-life Westerners and Visa Runs in South-East Asia

Abstract

Studies of Western migrants in South-East Asia emphasise the importance of privilege, work and location within national boundaries in the construction of contemporary subjectivities. This article examines the role and relevance of cross-border mobility through the eyes of older, Western ‘visa runners’ with limited financial resources. Drawing on migrant experience of dwelling in and moving through Penang, Malaysia, I address the ways in which the mobility regimes of immigration frameworks and visa regulations become a formative aspect or otherwise of social practice and belonging. In focusing on the personal and social experience of visa running, this article transcends a methodological nationalist focus on identities and subjectivities within national spaces and highlights the variable role of people, places and life history in the forming of multi-layered attachments across national spaces in South-East Asia.     

Natives and migrants in the London labour market, 1929–1931

Migrants are sometimes regarded as marginal workers in metropolitan labour markets. London has long been a major destination for migrants from elsewhere in Britain and abroad. In this paper we examine the earnings and unemployment experience in 1929–1931 of male workers who migrated to London, or within London. We use data from the New Survey of London Life and Labour, a large survey of working class households, the records from which have recently been computerised. Our findings indicate that migrants were not marginal, in fact they enjoyed slightly higher earnings and lower unemployment incidence than native Londoners. Much of the advantage can be explained by differences in average skill levels and personal characteristics. Received: 2 November 1999/Accepted: 3 August 2000     

Earnings adjustment of temporary migrants

The strong incentives of migrants to invest into human capital and the positive selective character of migration are the main explanations for the rapid decrease of the earnings gap between migrants and natives, and, in some cases, the cross-over of migrants' earings profiles with those of native workers, as found in a variety of empirical studies on migration to the USA, Canada and Australia. The present paper shows that in the case of temporary migration the optimal investment into country specific human capital should be lower than in the case of permanent migration. Investments may not be sufficient to allow migrants' earnings to catch up with those of native workers. Furthermore, it is shown that migration is positively selective only under certain labor market conditions. Empirical findings support the hypothesis that the migrant's length of stay in the host country has an effect on his investment into human capital and, consequently, on his earnings position. The results strongly suggest the need for carefully differentiating between temporary and permanent migration when investigating migrants' learnings assimilation.I am grateful to Augustin Maravall, John Micklewright, Graham Mizon, Christoph M. Schmidt, Dennis Snower and two referees for comments and suggestions made on previous drafts of this paper. All remaining errors are, of course, mine.     

Immigrants at new destinations: how they fare and why

We explore matched employer–employee data for a new destination of international migrants in Europe—Portugal. We conclude that the difference between the earnings of immigrants and natives with similar personal characteristics is for the most part due to the characteristics of the matches they form, immigrants being penalized on two different counts: absence of match-specific human capital and occupational downgrading. Moreover, we show that non-random sorting across workplaces has a significant detrimental effect on immigrants’ wages. This is the flip side of joining migrant-crowded workplaces.     

Social Capital Associated with Quality of Life Mediated by Employment Experiences: Evidence from a Random Sample of Rural-to-Urban Migrants in China

Working-age migrants need to possess adequate social capital in order to secure a stable and satisfactory job so that they can pursue a better quality of life (QOL). The positive relationship between social capital and vocational experiences, including successful employment, has been well established. In this study we focused on testing a multi-step mediation model linking social capital with employment experiences, and further to QOL. Survey data from rural-to-urban migrants randomly selected from Wuhan, China were analyzed. Social capital, including bonding and bridging capital, was measured using the Personal Social Capital Scale; employment experiences were measured using five job-related items; and QOL was measured using the Brief Symptoms Inventory. Structural equation modeling analysis indicated that job security and job satisfaction were positively and significantly associated with QOL, and social capital measures were significantly associated with higher QOL (primarily for males). Furthermore, job security and job satisfaction fully mediated the relationship between social capital and QOL after controlling for covariates. Findings of this study suggest the significance of social capital, job security and satisfaction in improving migrants’ QOL, implying the importance of vocational experiences in mediating the effect from social capital to QOL. If the findings can be confirmed with longitudinal data, these factors should be considered in decision making to improve rural-to-urban migrants’ QOL in China.     

劳动力流动对城镇失业的影响研究

文章探讨了家庭决策下农村劳动力流动对城镇失业的影响,认为劳动力回流会降低流入者的现存失业率进而拉低城镇总体失业率。基于2005年全国1%人口抽样调查数据,作者对城镇失业与其相关因素进行了回归分析。结果发现,就失业概率而言,农村流入人口远低于城镇居民;镇居民低于市居民;女性高于男性;年轻组远高于其他年龄组;受过高等教育的人口总体最低,但高校新近毕业生却较高。另外,区域发展模式影响其失业模式。失业水平在东北、武汉、重庆老工业基地出现了本地居民、农民工和总体均高的三高模式,在京、津、沪和珠三角地区出现了本地居民高、农民工低和总体居中的高低中模式,仅在国有、私营、和三资企业平衡发展的华东沿海地区出现了本地居民低、农民工低和总体低的三低模式。     

流动人口在城市劳动力市场中的地位:三群体研究

关于流动人口在城市劳动力市场中的地位问题,过去已有大量文献,但研究重点是农民工。这里把外来市民纳入观察视野,利用2008年"迁移和流动劳动力与中国大城市发展"调查数据,分析工资收入和社会保险参与的影响因素。主要研究发现:在工资收入上,不同户籍身份劳动者之间没有净差异;在养老保险和工伤保险参与上,本市居民、外来市民和农民工参与的可能性依次递减。这意味着,工资收入已经基本上由劳动力市场决定,而社会保险参与依然与户籍身份有关。不过,这种关联方式已经从过去的城乡户籍身份歧视转向本地/非本地权益差异。     

Public policy and the labor market adjustment of new immigrants to Australia

Two separate cohorts of immigrants to Australia are compared in order to assess the potential role of immigrant selection criteria, labor market conditions, and income-support policy in facilitating the labor market adjustment of new arrivals. Although these two cohorts entered Australia only five years apart, their initial labor market outcomes varied dramatically. The results indicate that changes in immigration policy may have led to increased human capital endowments that in turn resulted in higher participation rates and reduced unemployment. At the same time, improvement in Australian labor market conditions and changes in income-support policy over the 1990s – which most likely altered the returns to human capital – were probably instrumental in reinforcing the effects of tighter immigrant selection criteria. As much as half of the fall in unemployment rates among women and one third the decline among men appears to have occurred as the result of changes in the returns to demographic and human capital characteristics. Responsible editor:Christoph M. Schmidt     

20世纪90年代东北地区省际间人口迁移的人力资本考察

人力资本的流动与人口迁移是两个相关但又不同的概念。区域间人力资本的流动情况更能反映人口迁移对区域发展的影响。采用教育年限来计量东北地区及其各省迁移所造成的人力资本的得失,结果表明,东北地区在1995-2000年间经历了较严重的人口流失和人力资本流失。但东北地区内部又表现为辽宁省人力资本大比率的流入和吉林省、黑龙江省人力资本大比率的流出。东北地区省份间出现的两种完全不同的情况反映了东北三省对人口与劳动力吸引的不同的社会与经济条件。     

Unemployment benefits, risk aversion, and migration incentives

With reference to the EU enlargement, a framework is derived which allows the study of the effect of unemployment benefits on the migration decision. While benefits simply increase the expected gain for risk neutral individuals, they work as an insurance device for risk averse migrants; the results for the two groups might differ. Thus, the migration decision is reformulated as monetary lottery. Unsurprisingly, the paper finds that risk averse individuals are less likely to engage in migration. Yet, introducing unemployment benefits also makes them select a different set of countries. The implications of selection and sorting, however, depend crucially on the link between risk aversion and economically important personal characteristics. It is also shown that unemployment benefits give rise to intertemporal trade-offs in migration returns.The author is grateful for helpful comments by Hartmut Lehmann, Christoph M. Schmidt and three anonymous referees. I also like to thank my colleagues at CERT and participants of the R.O.S.E.S. Enlargement Conference 2003 in Paris. This work has been conducted before the author joint DWP and does not reflect the opinion of the department. Responsible editor: Klaus F. Zimmermann.     

A Profile of the World's Young Developing Country International Migrants

Individual‐level census and household survey data are used to present a rich profile of young developing country international migrants around the world. They are found to comprise a large share of the flow of migrants, particularly among migrants to other developing countries, with the age distribution of migrants peaking in the late teens or early twenties. Detailed data are presented on the age and sex composition of migrants, on whether young migrants move alone or with a parent or spouse, on their participation in schooling and work in the destination country, on the types of jobs they have, and on the incidence and age of return migration. The results suggest a high degree of commonality in the youth immigrant experience across a number of destination countries. Recent developing country young migrants tend to work in similar occupations and are more concentrated in these occupations than recent older migrants or young immigrants who arrived at an earlier age. Nevertheless, there is also considerable heterogeneity among young immigrants with respect to school attendance and work in their destination country. The potential of international migration for building human capital is significant but far from being fully used.     

一定范围内奥肯定律失效原因的初探

本文通过对中美德日英意等六国在1983年以来失业率与GDP增长率之间关系的实证分析,利用SPSS11.0软件得出相应Pearson相关系数,推断奥肯定律在一定范围内出现了失效现象。并运用技术进步,人力资本和资本深化等使要素生产率提高的因素,结合美国实际为例进行分析,找出其失效的主要原因,最后根据中国的特殊国情,对奥肯定律在中国出现偏差现象的原因作了进一步的探讨。     

全球化背景下的国际间人口迁移研究

国际间的人口迁移与境内迁移有着很大的不同,这些不同包括国际间迁移遇到更多的障碍,受到各国迁移法规和政策限制;迁移者知识和技能是否可以转移到另一社会环境中使用的问题;国家之间语言、文化宗教以及其它一系列差异要远远大于境内区域间的差异。由于国际迁移的这些特点,国际迁移在境内迁移的理论基础上,还要考虑国家之间的法规和政策限制的因素、国家间社会福利之间的差别,以及更注重对非经济因素的考查。目前的全球化和区域一体化趋势对国际的或区域的劳动力市场发展提出了新的要求。