Managing Labor Migration: Philippine State Policy and International Migration Flows, 1969–2000

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of the state in international labor migration. Recent conceptualizations of the state have concentrated on receiving states, placing their actions within the framework of control–the process of stemming the entry of immigrants whose supply currently outstrips demand. This study focuses instead on the role of the sending state and the attempt to manage outflows of labor migrants through policy. Using the case study of the Philippines, I analyze the impact of policy interventions on the annual number of processed overseas contract workers (OCWs) using time series regression techniques. Results show that state policy does have a statistically significant effect on the rate of OCWs processed each year, net of per-capita GDP and unemployment. However, not all of the major state policies identified yield statistically significant or expected results. The policies that impact migration are those formulated to (1) coordinate the activities of the private recruitment sector under state supervision, and (2) reorganize the state bureaucracy that processes OCWs. These results push us to examine more closely the role of the Philippine state in contemporary labor migration and to consider the effect of different types of state intervention aimed at managing migration flows.