International Migration as a Tool in Development Policy: A Passing Phase?

Abstract

This essay examines the recent emergence of migration and development as a major area of policy concern. The focus up to now has been almost entirely upon international migration, which accounts for the minority of people who move. A consensus has emerged that migration can be managed so as to promote development, and the essay critically assesses three of the major areas of concern: remittances, skilled migration, and the diaspora. While welcoming the growing acceptance that migration is no longer seen as negative for development, the essay cautions against essentializing migration and placing too great a responsibility upon migrant agency at the expense of the institutional change necessary to bring about development. Internal as well as international migrations will need to be integrated into any development framework, and it is further argued that these migrations are essentially a consequence of development. Planning for migration as an outcome rather than a cause of development is likely to provide a more balanced policy approach.

From Transit Migrants to Trading Migrants: Development Opportunities for Nigerians in the Transnational Trade Sector of Istanbul

“…As several authors have indicated, the academic debate on the migration-development nexus is rather segregated [4][5][6][7]23]. On the one hand, there are -migration optimists‖ that build on modernization development theories, valuing the distributive trickle down effects that derive from migration (e.g., remittances, skills).…”

A Review on the Trends and Ethical Issues of Labour Migration from Asia and the Pacific

“…The remittances sent back home by overseas migrants is the final fruit cultivated through the hardship they experience in the destination countries (Athukorala, 1992;Wells, 1996;Ilahi & Jafarey, 1999;Wickarmasekara, 2000;Richard et al, 2005;Hull, 2007;Martin, et al, 2007, p. 2;Skeldon, 2008a;Kaur, 2010;Yoeh et al, 2010;Battistella & Binodkhadria, 2011). Eventually, the people in the countries receiving remittance benefit greatly from it, although this income might not be channeled properly and might result in inequality (Jones, 1998a;Jones, 1998b;Mutersbaugh, 2002;Hull, 2007;Skeldon, 2008a;Skeldon, 2008b).…”

Migration Flows: Measurement, Analysis and Modeling

“…Contemporary research in Geography recognizes that the relationship between migration and development is critical. For example, many studies of remittances, skilled migration, and brain drain/brain circulation (Skeldon 2008) link migration to the socioeconomic standing of communities, regions, and nations. For some communities, and even some countries, remittances provide a mainstay of the local economy.…”