Migrant workers: a passage from India to the Middle East. Demographic and social-psychological implications and policy consideration

The author first gives an overview of labor emigration from India since the nineteenth century, noting particularly the trends in Indian migration to Middle Eastern and North African countries. The demand for expatriate labor in West Asia for the years 1985-1990 is projected, and consideration is given to differential labor migration according to skill category. Focusing on Indian emigrants currently working in the Gulf States, the author discusses conceptual problems in examining international migration as well as the social-psychological consequences and the societal impact of migration.     

Migration in a socialist transitional economy: heterogeneity,socioeconomic and spatial characteristics of migrants in China and Guangdong province

The peculiar features of China's socialist transitional economy, including the coexistence of "plan" and "nonplan" mechanisms, the hukou institution, uneven spatial development, and gendered constraints and opportunities, have brought about a high degree of heterogeneity among population movements. Using the 1990 Census data on reasons for migration, and an empirical analysis of both national patterns and migration in Guangdong, the author documents the socioeconomic characteristics and spatial patterns of major types of migration, focusing on migration for employment in industry and business, male migration due to job transfer, and female marriage migration. The author argues that the multitude of migration types, and the contrasts among them, are products of the combination of state-planning and market mechanisms. The findings highlight institutional explanations for migration, and show that the "plan"/"nonplan" dichotomy is more meaningful that the economic-social dichotomy for understanding population movements in China.     

Migration between the United States and Canada: a study of labour market adjustment

"... The main purpose of this study is to examine population flows between Canada and the United States [from mid-1947 to mid-1972] in order to investigate the degree to which labour market adjustment is aided by such movements. [The author considers] several functional forms of the migration relationship in an attempt to empirically determine how the decision to migrate is formed. [He also compares the] results with those obtained by Courchene...for Canadian interprovincial migration in an effort to compare the effects of international and internal migration on labour market adjustment." It is found that "migration between the United States and Canada over the post-war period is an economic variable. In fact, [a] simple model employing differences in income levels and unemployment rates has been able to explain nearly ninety-five per cent of the variation in the migration rate." The author also notes that "although migration between Canada and the United States does occur in such a way as to aid labour market adjustment, it is not as efficient as internal migration." (summary in FRE, SPA)     

Immigrant workers in an emigrant economy: an examination of replacement migration in the Middle East

The author investigates human resource shortages in a labor-supplying country, focusing particularly on the case of Jordan. He "examines the growth, characteristics and role of immigrant labour in an erstwhile emigrant economy and assesses the validity of the replacement migration model. Data is presented from the author's survey of some 3,751 work permits issued to foreign workers in Amman between October 1982 and January 1983." It is noted that "replacement migration is only one aspect of a more diffuse pattern of labour inflows which have important implications for the Jordanian economy in general and the labour market in particular." In addition to replacement labor migration, which involves the employment of skilled workers in sectors experiencing domestic labor shortages, the author identifies the roles played by collective contract labor, involving immigrant labor for project-specific work, and secondary labor, involving low-skill work at discriminatory wage rates. The distinctions between these forms of labor migration and their economic implications are discussed. (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)     

Negotiating Identity and Belonging: Migration Narratives of Protestants from Northern Ireland

This article draws on the migration narratives of Protestants from Northern Ireland, examining the impact of migration on issues of identity and belonging, particularly in relation to the Northern Ireland conflict. The life narratives were collected during the course of two studies relating to contemporary migration from Northern Ireland (2004-2007). The author concludes that the insecurity of Protestant identity continues to influence the significant migration rate of young middle class Protestants, most of whom are unlikely to return to live in Northern Ireland.     

Current migratory phenomena: refugees and immigrants

The author reviews current migration trends within and from the former Soviet Union, with a focus on refugee problems and the brain drain in the context of recent political changes. Consideration is given to tension among ethnic groups, unemployment, ecological refugees, and the need for a new migration policy. Data mainly concern the late 1980s.     

The Philippine national recording systems on international migration

The author reviews migration data sources and government collection agencies in the Philippines. He finds that "despite the importance of international migration for national policy, efforts to correct the serious data limitations in the area of migration statistics have been limited and uncoordinated. In fact, most estimates of emigration levels from the Philippines still rely heavily on the data gathered by receiving countries."     

Illusions and reality in international migration: migration and development in post World War II Greece

The author analyzes international migration using a case study of Greece, with a focus on the relationship between migration and development in the sending countries. He supports a view of international migration "as a central component of the international political economy--one whose investigation requires a sensitivity to, and intimacy with, the forces operative in the structure and process of the world economy." The role of Greek emigration in the areas of relief and unemployment, capital transfers or remittances, and the social realm is considered. (summary in FRE, SPA)     

A preliminary analysis of emigration determinants in Mexico,Central America,northern South America and the Caribbean

The author examines migratory movements and their causes in Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Sections are included on migration trends, theoretical approaches, and methodological tools before the 1970s; the shift in migratory patterns after the 1980s; macrosocial variables as a general background of current international flows; and migration policies.     

Family reunification

The author explores the problem of family reunification in the context of international migration. The focus is on international and national legislation, policies, and provisions concerning family reunification. The need for international cooperation to resolve the problems arising from international migration and the desire to reunite families is noted. (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)     

Adaptation to a new world: experience of Bangladeshis in Japan

The author explores aspects of Bangladeshi migration to Japan. "The information base for the study is two major sources: sections on the level and trend of migration, socio-economic characteristics of migrants and their job experiences in Japan are based on a survey of Bangladeshi returned migrants from Japan. Information on their socio-economic adjustment was obtained from personal interviews with migrants who had lived and worked in Japan." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)     

Contemporary trends in international migration study

Recent trends in international migration are reviewed. Three major trends are identified: changes in the relationships between states due to the presence of a more or less permanent minority population from one state in the other; the flow of illegal migrants despite stricter immigration laws; and the growing problem of refugees and their impact on the migration policies of developed countries. The author reviews some theories concerning international migration and the role of institutions in the international division of labor. (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)     

Immigration toward France in the 1990s: a new factor in the job market and new issues in society]

A review of trends in the employment of foreigners in France in the 1990s is presented. The author notes that the current economic crisis has resulted in a severe decline in the amount of salaried employment and a trend toward the service sector of the economy. In the second part of the article the author examines some of the issues concerning the dichotomy between labor migration and permanent immigration, and the problems involved in controlling migration flows with regard to the relative roles of international, national, and local authorities.     

Cohort size and migration in a West Indian population

The author examines the relationship between cohort size and migration patterns among the population of the French West Indies island of St. Barthelemy. Data show that "for people born from 1878 to 1967, neither cohort size nor fluctuations in external demands for labor had a lasting effect on the probability of eventual migration. Emigration rates only slowed after the development of the local tourist industry brought prosperity to the island."     

Homeward bound: Yemeni return migration

The author discusses the return migration of Yemenis from Saudi Arabia during the period 1970-1989. "Through the use of original, empirical data collected in Yemen, this article sheds light on who these returning migrants are, where they have come from, and what sort of future awaits them.... The survey conducted on return migration was administered in the winter and spring of 1989 in a region of North Yemen called al-Hujariyya."     

Immigration history and the future of international migration

"International migration must be understood as a permanent phenomenon rather than as a temporary movement. In this article, the author proceeds from the premise that in appreciating the relation between the past and the present, we may be able to draw on 'lessons of the past' to modify our definition and perception of current problems and to analyze possible policies and decisions. The article is divided into several sections, historical changes within migration patterns including different categories of migrants, various phases within the migration process in recent history, theoretical considerations in analysis, distinct types of immigration policies pursued by various states, and current and possible future trends."     

Gender,Migration, and Law: Crossing Borders and Bridging Disciplines

The gendered nature of the immigration experience is shaped and reinforced by law, legal consciousness, and the normative understandings they help constitute. This article provides an overview of the role of gender in migration processes from a law and society perspective, and includes an empirical focus on the new immigration to Italy and Spain as an illustration of the utility of such an approach. Beginning with a brief summary of the literatures of feminist jurisprudence and law and migration, respectively, the small body of scholarship at the intersection of these fields is reviewed. The author then examines the new immigration to Italy and Spain and argues that this immigration and the policies that shape it highlight the role of the state in gendering immigrant labor and offer new angles from which to consider the interplay of gender, race, migration status, and marginality. In concluding, the author proposes that such exploration of immigrants’ experiences in southern Europe reveals the surprising complexity of immigrants’ multiple marginalities, and exposes the powerful contingencies of economic context, prevailing stereotypes, the particulars of state policy, and the agentive power of people struggling to survive.     

The future of migration

These three papers on the future of migration make up a summary report on the Conference of National Experts held at the OECD in Paris, May 13-15, 1986. The papers concern possible policy options, international migration as a basic element of economic development, and conclusions about migration trends from the present to the long-term future. The author of the concluding paper remarks that "the Conference brought representatives of all of the Organization's Member countries together with eminent economists and social scientists to discuss the possible and probable outlook for migratory movements in the years to come. The purpose was not to define international norms in this respect, nor to draft one or more international agreements or a legal instrument having the force of law, but to review all the problems raised by that outlook."     

Future trends in international migration to Europe

The author discusses future trends in international migration to Europe, with a focus on the impact of the economic situation on labor force needs and resources. Aspects considered include changes in foreign direct investments, changes in the size of the European labor market, and the potential emigration of the labor force in underdeveloped countries.     

Is Migration Supply – or Demand – Determined?. Some remarks on the ideological use of economic language

The author briefly discusses debate on the question of "whether international migration is essentially 'supply-determined' or 'demand-determined'.... In general, the supply school holds that there are any number of migrants willing to move (usually from poor to rich countries) irrespective of demand conditions in their destination countries, whereas the demand school claims that migration actually emerges out of specific demand conditions in prospective immigration countries.... By explicitly applying economic concepts of supply and demand to migration analysis--restricting attention to the situation in receiving countries--migration can rarely be called supply--or demand--determined alone, but will usually depend on the interaction of these forces." (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA)