International migration policies: conceptual problems

Kritz reviews national concepts and policies of migration. She examines how nation-states approach migration and how they define who is a migrant. Policies for permanent, temporary, and illegal migrants are examined for selected countries. While the traditional permanent immigration countries--Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the US--continue to admit large numbers of permanent migrants, they are also admitting growing numbers of temporary migrants. Other countries, in Europe and the developing world, have different migration histories and use other approaches to admit foreigners--migrants are generally admitted on a temporary basis for work or other purposes. Growing numbers of these temporary migrants, however, do become long-term or permanent settlers, and the distinction between permanent and temporary migration policies becomes a short-term legal one rather than a long-term sociological one. Governments have been seeking those policy instruments that would allow them to improve control over who enters and settles in their territories, and temporary migration policies are the measures to which they are turning. While increasing restriction characterizes the policy stance of most countries toward international migration, this does not necessarily mean that the number of migrants entering is declining. Kritz argues that the concepts employed by countries in their immigration policies frequently do not correspond to the reality, making it necessary to examine the actual context.     

International migration in Greece: statistical results

"The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of some socio-economic factors affecting immigration in Greece and the relation of these factors to those affecting internal migration and the migration process as a whole." An econometric model is elaborated using data for 1981. The findings show that standard of living and other socioeconomic factors play an important role in the decision to migrate, particularly in the case of internal migration. (summary in FRE, SPA)     

International migration in Hungary

The article provides an overview of the contemporary migration trends affecting Hungary from a historical perspective and with particular emphasis on legal and illegal immigration and the development of migration policy and discourse.     

International migration: an assessment for the '90s

A quarter century ago, the world of international migration looked much different than it does today. International migration was then favorable regarded in many parts of the world. Today, this mood has soured. Guestworkers in Germany in 1989, particularly Turks, are the subject of widespread hostility and a growing anti-immigrant political party. France, too, has developed a significant anti-immigrant political party and now facilitates the repatriation of unemployed Algerian nationals with cash assistance. In the US, a chapter thought closed forever in 1964 might well be reopened as the federal government, in 1989, will decide whether or not to admit replenishment agricultural workers. In the Arab region, the Palestine Liberation Organization was created in 1964 to represent one of the world's largest refugee population - the 1 million Palestinians who fled during the 1'947-1949 fighting and their offspring. Today, Africa contains an estimated 4-5 million refugees. In Asia, the Gulf of Tonkin crisis in 1964 served as a pretext to escalate the war in Indochina that would create millions of refugees. Little concern was expressed 25 years ago about illegal migration from developing countries. Asia, Africa, and Latin America seemed to lie outside the usual path of international migration. A conference on international migration was held at Bellagio, Italy, in July 1988. The contributions comprising this volume were presented at the Bellagio Conference. Each contribution approaches the subject matter of international migration from a distinctive theoretical, disciplinary, or thematic perspective. This volume therefore reflects a large measure of the scholarly diversity that coexists in international migration studies. One of the themes of the conference is the realization that states vitally affect international migration and are greatly affected by the phenomenon. The Bellagio conferees also agreed on the importance of comparative research to greater scientific understanding of international migration. In a world of increasing interdependency, the inevitable effect of a knowledge shortfall is a glaring gap in understanding.     

Termination visits in closed adoptions

Although either voluntary or involuntary termination of parental rights may be in a child's best interests, it is understandably difficult for a child to cope with final separation from parents. A "goodbye visit" can greatly help the separation process for both the child and the parents.     

International migration in the Dominican Republic: implications for development planning

"The Dominican Republic represents a microcosm of all the major migration patterns: substantial emigration and immigration, sizeable return migration, and persistent internal rural-urban migration. The impacts of these various types of migration are related and have a significant influence on the development process. This study analyzes the causes of these migrations as well as the costs and benefits in terms of the individual migrants and the country as a whole. Finally, it investigates the implications of migration for development planning in the Dominican Republic." The authors conclude "that the migration issue is not an area distinct from the various development focuses, but rather cuts across and is related to many of the program areas in which the government is involved."     

International migration statistics in Mexico

During the past decade, Mexico has experienced both large-scale emigration directly, mostly to the US, and the mass immigration of Central American refugees. The implementation of the US Immigration and Control Act of 1986 and the possible escalation of armed conflicts in Central America may result in expanded inflows either of returning citizens or of new refugee waves. To develop appropriate policy responses, Mexico needs reliable information on international migration flows. This research note reviews available sources of that information--arrival and departure statistics, population censuses, refugee censuses, and survey data--and concludes that most of them are relatively weak. Currently, the published data on entries and departures provide little information on the demographic impact of legal migration, although they suggest that the inflow of foreigners is small. The census corroborates such findings, but it yields inadequate demographic detail. The movement of Mexican nationals, on the other hand, is poorly reflected by both sources. The void they leave has been palliated somewhat by surveys, but the only nationally representative survey on emigration was carried out in the late 1970s and might be a less than ideal basis for current policy formulation. It is hoped that as the relevance of international migration becomes more evident, steps towards the improvement of existing statistical systems may be undertaken. In the absence of such measures, policy-makers and researchers will have to continue relying on ad hoc surveys to answer the most pressing questions on the subject.     

International migration and the NGOs working in the field of migration in Turkey

This study aims to analyse the activities and discourses of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in the field of migration in Turkey. The research explores how the NGOs frame the issue of migration differently and how they define and comprehend migration, migrants, and refugees. The article discusses whether the NGOs view refugees as subjects needing help, support, and protection or as actors who have rights and must be empowered and argues that there is tension between the two approaches. These points are discussed through a field study, conducted in 2020 (between February and April), comprising in-depth interviews with representatives of 13 NGOs working in the field of migration. The study points to structural, historical, and conjectural causes and aspects of the weakness of rights-based attitudes and activities among the NGOs working in the field of migration in Turkey. The article finds out that the actions of the NGOs working in the field of migration are concentrated on the basic needs of refugees, and structural limitations, such as political pressure, political polarization, and capacity problems, push the NGOs to evaluate the issue of migration within relatively narrow frames. The article also stresses the importance of an enabling political and legal environment and a coherent and structured communication strategy to promote a rights-based migration agenda.     

International labour migration statistics in Asia: an appraisal

"The present paper attempts a critical review of the data systems of seven major labour-exporting countries--Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Thailand--which account for over 90 per cent of labour outflows from Asia....Data...are discussed under separate sections focusing on limitations as well as potential for further exploitation.... For all countries reviewed here, these data significantly understate total labour outflows, and the magnitude of the error seems to vary between countries and reflect both differences relating to the coverage and efficiency of the approval and monitoring procedure. This throws serious doubts on the appropriateness of official outmigration series for cross country comparison. Frequent changes in reporting procedures also make for discrete changes and spurious shifts in data which render trend analysis quite hazardous." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)     

International migration in East Asia: situation and issues

Trends in international labor migration in Eastern Asia and the Pacific Rim countries are identified and briefly discussed. Consideration is given to economic development and international investment in the region since World War II, and to current and future policy implications.     

Preventing disruption of special needs adoptions

The incidence of adoption disruptions is much higher in special-needs adoptions than in infant adoptions. This article reports the results of an analysis of differences in functioning between families able to sustain special-needs placements and families in which they disrupted. The finding is that the father plays a pivotal role in maintaining these placements. If he is actively involved in parenting, and able to nurture and support the mother in her role, placements are more likely to be sustained.     

International migration in Western Europe: reflections on the past five years

Five significant developments have occurred since 1974 with regard to the European labor force: 1) growth of return migration; 2) adoption of a new ILO Convention and Recommendation on return migration; 3) the movement towards a New International Economic Order; 4) the holding of the World Employment Conference in 1976; and 5) growing support for the idea that countries of origin should be compensated for out-migration of its citizens. About 1.5-2 million migrant workers have returned to their country of origin since the early 1970's when about 6 million workers and dependents were in Western Europe. The inequity that pervades international economic relations in general and migration in particular stems from the unequal bargaining power of the partners and the absense of corrective international social policies. The developing countries' wish for a new economic order questions the distributional aspects of the old liberal order. While raw materials and trade are covered comprehensively, labor movement is neglected. The growing realization that migration is a resource drain has led many poor countries to request compensation.     

International migration from the Dominican Republic: findings from a national survey

Results of a survey which sought to provide a profile of international Dominican migrants indicate that international migration from the Dominican Republic is primarily a middle class urban phenomenon, with rural unemployment representing only a small segment of the migration flow. The strongest reasons for emigrating were economic, and most migrants tended to leave the Dominican Republic at the peak of their productivity. The profile of the migrant which emerged from the survey does not fit the stereotype of an illiterate, unskilled, and unemployable individual who decides to emigrate to receive welfare. Results also show that about 40% of migrants had returned at the time of the survey, and suggest that the poorer the migrant, the less likely it is he/she will return. Most persons migrating in order to study tend to return after their studies are over, and a large number of migrants have trouble adjusting to a foreign society. Finally, international net migration does not seem to be increasing; in fact the findings suggest that net migration declined considerably in the 1970s, after reaching a peak in the 1960s.     

International migration in a changing world

This paper eulogizes the life and work of Gunther Beijer (1904-1983), an international migration research supporter, who was himself a refugee from Nazi Germany. The brain drain of professional workers of other nations into such traditional receiving countries as the US, Canada, and Australia particularly interested Beijer. The creation of many independent nations after World War II changed migration trends greatly. By the 1970s the immigration policies of receiving countries had changed to favor non-Caucasian professional workers and relatives of current residents. This new migration may be classified as 1) permanent settler, 2) guest worker, 3) professional transient, 4) clandestine, and 5) refugee. Non-Caucasian immigrants increasingly find that they may not be wanted when perceived as an economic or social threat. Beijer understood guest worker migration within Europe in the early 1960s, but he could not foresee the demands that guest workers and their families would place on receiving countries. Guest worker migration gives sending countries relief from unemployment and provides remittances; it also provides needed labor to economically health countries. Guest workers such as those currently employed in the Persian Gulf may not be accepted socially or politically by the host community and may be considered undesirable employees on their return home. Nations often tolerate illegal or clandestine migration when the labor need is high, but illegals may be expelled when economic or political conditions turn against them. The problems of the estimated 10 million refugees fall increasingly on developing countries, but must be shared by all nations since their increasing numbers affect domestic and international politics.