International Migration Policy Research Articles

Strategising solidarity: an examination of the Visegrád group’s role and motivations in EU migration policies

ABSTRACT The V4’s opposition to common internal migration policies has often been explained through their lack of affectedness by migration and their anti-immigrant publics. Yet, the V4 have taken a key role in external EU migration policies and become the third largest donor under the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. Through this theory testing case study, we argue that international standing and reputation, as well as an attempt to remain both responsive to their electorates and responsible towards their European partners, were key motivations in adopting this role. Our evidence suggests that the V4 supported external and border policies to demonstrate cooperativeness and responsibility to those European partners who had previously criticised their lack of solidarity. They did so in the external dimension, as this area was much less salient for their domestic audiences, allowing them to also remain responsive to domestic voters as well.

International Migration and Migration Policy Reforms

The article examines the problems of regulating illegal migration by developed countries and the European Union, the achievements that cause not always correct criticism, and the possibilities of using the experience of a number of countries and new approaches in this regulation are shown. Particular attention is paid to international organizations dealing with the problems of international migration. It was concluded that there is no clear division of their functions by type of migration, which prevents the formation of long-term policies. Proposals were formulated to strengthen the role of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in rule-making and norm-setting on labor migration, which plays an increasingly important role in sustainable development. It was concluded that it is necessary to change the status of the migration conventions, otherwise effective regulation of labor migration is impossible. The countries of the Persian Gulf that attract external labor immigrants despite the rapid growth of the local population are highlighted. The difference in countries’ policies towards labor migration in the 21st century compared to the 20th century is shown. The concept of “fiduciary duty” of federal governments in relation to external migration was introduced.

International Trade Liberalization and Domestic Institutional Reform: Effects of WTO Accession on Chinese Internal Migration Policy

Abstract Economic institutions that impede factor mobility become more costly when an economy experiences substantial transitions such as trade liberalization. I study how trade triggers changes in labor institutions that regulate internal migration in the context of China’s Hukou system. Using a newly collected dataset on prefecture-level migration policies, I document an increase in promigrant regulations following WTO entry and estimate the impact of prefecture-level tariffs on exports on migration regulations from 2001 to 2007. I find that regions facing more export market liberalization enacted more migrant-friendly regulations.

Tracing Internal Migration Governance in India Through a ‘Mainstreaming’ Lens

The COVID-19 migrant crisis was a watershed moment for internal migration, driving home the importance of inclusionary frameworks and action. Despite the lack of an omnibus migration policy, several disparate policy initiatives have emerged at multiple levels of government, across various sectors and involving multiple stakeholder types. This article traces and analyses internal migration policy in India over time, particularly how the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped responses. In doing so, it builds on the idea of ‘mainstreaming’, a reflexive approach to policymaking that Peter Scholten proposed to address such complex policy areas as migration. The article argues that a nascent framework for migration governance is evolving in India and offers suggestions on how mainstreaming can help streamline research and policy design for enhanced migrant inclusion.

Internal Migration Policies in China: Patterns and Determinants of the Household Registration Reform Policy Design in 2014

AbstractThis study exploits rich data sources to investigate city-level patterns of internal migration policies in response to the reform of Chinese household registration and the economic, political and sociocultural determinants that drive policy approaches. First, we collected and systematically coded policy documents from 231 cities. Cluster analyses showed that the majority of cities (63%) adopted less lenient selection policies while offering integrative social welfare policies. Rights to internal migration remain selectively granted in China, yet rights to welfare have become more equitable than they were in the past because of the reform. Second, multinomial regression analyses showed that economic development and growth are related to selection policies that are more lenient towards high-skilled migrants, whereas top-down controls of superior governments, local politicians’ characteristics (e.g. tenure concerns and hometown favouritism) and migrants’ sociocultural environments (e.g. pre-existing labour disputes) account for both selection and integration policies.

Education in the context of international mobility and migration policies

Education in the context of international mobility and migration policies

Reshaping unfairness perceptions: Evidence from China's Hukou reform

This study investigates the impact of China's 2014 Hukou reform, which significantly relaxed barriers to internal migration, on local urban residents' perceptions of unfairness. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies, we find that exposure to increased in-migration following the reform heightened locals' perceptions of unfair treatment due to wealth inequality and Hukou status. Locals also expressed less tolerance for wealth gaps and reduced materialistic wealth recognition. These shifts in social attitudes indicate that inter-group contact through migration can reshape native residents' notions of fairness and equity. Our findings suggest implementing progressive policies may become more feasible in the wake of migration reforms by altering social views. Overall, our work sheds light on the societal impacts of internal migration and Hukou policy reforms in China.

Climate, Environment and Migration: Experiences of Migrants in South Africa

Abstract This article examines the impacts of climate- and environment-related adversity on migration from other sub-Saharan African countries to the prominent migration destination of South Africa. It describes factors and processes influencing migration decisions and identifies migration policy implications. Information was gathered through in-depth qualitative research conducted with 20 migrants now residing in South Africa’s Gauteng province, as well as interviews with key informants with expertise on migration and climate change and a review of existing literature. The principal finding is that although climatic and environmental stresses are not the primary drivers of migration, they play important direct and indirect contributing roles, often intersecting with economic, political, social and demographic drivers. Whether people respond to adverse conditions by migrating depends on the obstacles and facilitating factors, personal and household characteristics, and expectations of the destination. National and international migration policies need to more comprehensively address these increasingly important determinants of migration.

Evaluation of the Internal Migration Policy Development Program in Kazakhstan: Effectiveness and Shortcomings

The uneven distribution of the population across regions in the Republic of Kazakhstan, varying economic development among regions, and the emergence of the need for labor force redistribution have altered the approach to migration policy and intensified concerns regarding the regulation of internal migration. For instance, in four northern regions (Akmola, Kostanay, Pavlodar, and North Kazakhstan), the population has been decreasing, with a decrease of 12,000 people over the span of two years. In contrast, in four southern regions (Almaty, Zhambyl, Turkestan, and Kyzylorda), the population has increased by twice as much as in the northern regions, adding 186,000 people. This scientific study examines migration issues and government initiatives aimed at addressing these problems, taking into account the population distribution imbalance. Over the past five years, the state program "Enbek," which served as the main document for implementing measures to relocate residents as a labor force from densely populated southern regions to the declining northern regions, has clearly stimulated migration. However, despite its apparent effectiveness, the desired level of results has not been achieved. The authors of the research point out factors such as the inadequate implementation of an information campaign, distrust of the program, and negligent actions by local authorities, and propose causes for the problem as well as ways to address them.
 
 Received: 16 August 2023 / Accepted: 17 October 2023 / Published: 5 November 2023

SINIRLARIN ÖTESİNDEKİ DİJİTAL İZLER: GÖÇ KRİZİ ÜZERİNE SİSTEMATİK BİR DERLEME

This study aimed to systematically examine the studies conducted and published on immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees by using big data written in English. Articles were searched on Scholar, The Web of Science, ProQuest, Science Direct, PubMed and Scopus databases. The concept set centered around the concepts of immigration and big data was used in the surveys. In accordance with the PRISMA protocol principles, 49 articles were examined according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria among 258 articles obtained from the relevant databases until the end of December 2022. The reviewed articles were categorized under the headings of “topics examined”, “dataset”, “analyses”, “software used” and “key findings”. The studies provide indications on how to obtain information about this population, which is difficult to reach group especially due to its massiveness, using big data tools. In the findings, it has been seen that studies based on big data on immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees contribute to facilitating the integration of these groups into the target country. Also, it has been revealed that these studies may lead to undesirable results in terms of violating the confidentiality of research groups, producing labeling, and increasing surveillance for these groups. In addition to these, it has been found that these studies have methodological handicaps in terms of representativeness, accuracy, excessive homogenization, and easy generalization. It is thought that the findings of the study will shed light on the international migration and refugee policies to be carried out using big data analysis tools.

A Decision Support System for Internal Migration Policy-Making

This paper proposes a decision support system for internal migration policy in the Republic of Serbia, which uses machine learning and knowledge extraction methods to analyze data and identify key features for policy decision-making. Internal migration is an issue that creates uneven development and sustainability challenges in countries. More specifically, internal migrations are putting a big pressure on cities and urban areas, while leaving vast less-urbanized areas depopulated and unsustainable to future generations. This paper includes two machine learning models with an accuracy of 70% for predicting internal migration intensity in local selfgovernments (LSGs), as well as the proposed decision-support tool that achieves an accuracy of 66%. The proposed system maintains desirable properties of decision support systems such as correctness, completeness, consistency, comprehensibility, and convenience and allows the what-if analysis to evaluate appropriate policies for each LSG. The identified key features can be used to influence migration levels in LSGs and promote balanced development in Serbia.

Street Level Bureaucrats Between Frustrations, Powerlessness, Bottom-up and Resilience Processes

In this paper the main outcomes of four researches carried out from 2014 to 2021 in three Italian regions (Abruzzo, Marche and Tuscany) will be shown, focused on the migrant's integration processes. In these researches social workers, educators, schools and L2 teachers, Intercultural mediators who work in the field of migration were interviewed about their difficulties in their daily work. The reading key use to understand their difficulties was the street level bureaucrats theory of Lipsky. Thanks to their statements, it was possible to better understand the importance of the role of the context that affects their work in providing services and how the changes of migration and welfare policies are very important in the influencing of relationship with migrant people. Their strengths and weaknesses will be highlighted. In all the researches those professionals showed about their frustration because of the politicians' decisions to cut or to limit migration and welfare services in a framework characterized by a lack of inclusive paths' programming. However, these professionals can play an important role of change in migration's local policies, if they are supported by researchers and Institutions. Indeed, in one of the researches their points of view about the bad consequences funding cuts to migration policies were used to propose to a Regional Councillor of Abruzzo to finance migration policies again, previously deleted from her predecessor and she have done it. So in this case a bottom-up process was effective. Another important factor that emerged concerns the attitude of these professionals to understand the complexity of the mix of international and local migration policies and their skill to propose virtual improvements in order to provide a better service to their users.

SARS-CoV-2 in low-income countries: the need for sustained genomic surveillance

SARS-CoV-2 in low-income countries: the need for sustained genomic surveillance

VIII International American Studies Congress “200th Anniversary of Latin America - Globalization, Political and Social Processes during the Pandemic”

From August 22 to 26, 2022, the VIII International Congress of American Studies was held in Rio de Janeiro. This congress focused on the most pressing issues in the contemporary Latin American agenda - globalization and regionalization, economic development, impact of the covid-19 pandemic on social, political, economic, and demographic processes. As a part of the congress, the round table “Migration, Migrants, Migration Policy in the Era of the covid-19: Trends, Consequences, Conclusions” was held. Not only Latin-American researchers, but also scientists from the leading Russian, European, Asian universities and research institutes participated in the round table. They discussed transformations of the international migration and migration policy under the pandemic, ways to ensure the rights of migrants and refugees, state policy measures aimed at restoring internal and international mobility, interstate cooperation and the role of international institutions in ensuring safe, ordered and legal migration.

Russia and modern migration crisis: On the rural labor migration

The article is devoted to the analysis of the migration nature and specifics as a socio-economic phenomenon in the context of the current state and prospects of development of the agrarian economy of the Russian Federation in the conditions of a new social reality. The research objectives: analysis of international rules for the migration policy implementation in the context of the current migration and food crises; assessment of rural labor migration in the Russian Federation; determination of the nature and prospects for regional rural labor migration development. The authors reveal the contradictions and factors of international migration policy and the advantages of Russia in the field of its implementation. The idea is formulated about the need to implement a policy on creation of new jobs, increase of employment in the agricultural sector of the Russian economy, and development of transport infrastructure to support the “labor commutation” characteristic of the old industrial region.

On the Formation and Nature of Internal Migration Policies in China: Patterns and Determinants of the Household Registration Reform in 2014

On the Formation and Nature of Internal Migration Policies in China: Patterns and Determinants of the Household Registration Reform in 2014

INNOVATIVE DIRECTIONS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE GLOBAL LABOR MARKET IN GLOBALIZATION

The article analyzes the economic essence of the world labor market in the conditions of globalization. The world labor market is a complex economic system that is modified under the influence of the dynamics of demand and supply of labor resources in the world market; under the influence of the peculiarities of the formation of the price of labor, the formation of conditions and the amount of remuneration, the specifics of social protection; quantitative and qualitative movement and placement of labor in different countries of the world; differences in national approaches to the reproduction of the workforce, its professional training and retraining. In the conditions of globalization, national labor markets are quickly losing their closedness and isolation, becoming components of the world labor market. The strategic priorities of the development of the world labor market are formed under the influence of the multidirectional action of a number of factors: globalization and the openness of the national economy, structural and innovative shifts in the world economy, as a result of the intensification of labor migration and the strengthening of the role of international organizations as coordinators of the development of international economic relations. The main benefits of labor migration go to recipient countries. It is not easy to estimate the scale, because not all of them are quantifiable. They consist of savings on the training of specialists in host countries, the cost of products and services created by immigrants in the host country, and income from taxation. Immigrants, especially illegal immigrants, contribute more to the country's income than they receive from the public sector. International labor migration is becoming more and more global in nature. Today it covers the absolute majority of countries in the world. The main directions of modern migration processes are the North and South American region, the Western European market, Southeast and Western Asia, and the African section of migration movements. That is why these processes require regulation by the states participating in the exchange labor resources, and balanced international migration policy.

“The eternal return” of normality: Invisibility and essentiality of migrant farmworkers before and during the Covid-19 pandemic

Among the factors that the Covid-19 Pandemic has brought to light, the link between international mobility, migration policies and economic nationalism is central. Drawing on ethnographic data collected during and after the lockdown, the article focuses on the real motivations behind the amnesty approved last year by the government as part of the Decreto Relaunch, and aimed at regularising undocumented migrant workers employed in those sectors of the labour market considered essential (agriculture, domestic and care). Through the categories of essentiality and invisibility, the contribution investigates the ambivalent role played by migrants within the labour market and the national economy, paying particular attention to the agro-food sector. Above all, it focuses on the paradoxes made explicit by the measure: whose numbers, especially in the agricultural sector, demonstrate its ineffectiveness. This article aims to show how, in the face of the essentiality and numerical centrality of the migrant labour force within the agri-food sector, the national economic policy still does not recognise its importance, encouraging exploitative practices and policies of socio-economic marginalisation.

Digital nomadism and global mobility: Challenges and suggestions for international migration policies

Digital nomadism and global mobility: Challenges and suggestions for international migration policies

Importance of Personality Traits for Destination-Language Acquisition: Evidence for Refugees in Germany

We analyze the role of personality traits in destination-language proficiency among recent refugees in Germany. While personality traits have been shown to predict educational outcomes, they have been largely overlooked for immigrants’ language acquisition. We extend a well-established model of destination-language proficiency and assume that personality traits’ effects manifest through the channels of exposure, efficiency, and incentives. Using longitudinal data and growth curve models, we find that personality traits significantly shaped destination-language learning. Openness to new experiences, conscientiousness, risk appetite, locus of control and resilience were positively related to destination-language proficiency, while agreeableness and neuroticism were insignificant. The positive impact of extraversion and the negative impact of self-esteem on destination-language proficiency were only marginally significant. For all personality traits, we observe that both the efficiency of learning and exposure to learning opportunities represented possible channels through which personality traits affected refugees’ destination-language proficiency. In sum, personality traits affect refugees’ destination-language proficiency and, thereby, contribute to sustainable economic and societal integration processes. We conclude by discussing implications for international migration research and policy.