Migration-development Nexus Research Articles

Diaspora academics engagement in Eritrean higher education institutions: Current conditions and future trends

ABSTRACT In this study, I argue that there is an interplay between migration and development. Countries of origin can use a variety of methods to attract and engage diaspora citizens in their development projects. Hence, using semi-structured interviews, observation, and secondary document analysis, I explored the engagement of Eritrean diaspora academics in the higher education institutions (HEIs) of their country of origin. The study found that the HEIs are developing a working relationship with Eritrean diaspora academics located in different parts of the world. Besides, the diaspora academics have been engaging in different fields to support the HEIs in general and faculty and student development in particular. However, the findings further showed that the HEIs had less control over the linkage program. In addition, socio-economic and political factors negatively affected the diaspora academics engagement in the HEIs. The study helps readers to understand ‘why’ and ‘how’ diaspora academics engage in their country of origin. In doing so, it significantly advances the knowledge about migration-development nexus. It also contributes to improving the methods in practice regarding diaspora engagement in their country of origin.

The Legacy of Conflict: Reconstruction and Migration in the Aftermath of Civil War in Tajikistan

How do civil war and subsequent reconstruction efforts affect international migration? Although a wealth of evidence points to violent conflict’s effects on contemporaneous migration and although a rich body of literature examines development’s effects on migration, we know less about the intersection of conflict, development, and migration. This article examines the intersection of these factors nearly a decade after the 1992–1997 civil war in Tajikistan, combining data from the 2007 Tajikistan Living Standards Survey, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program, and original interviews. In a series of logistic regression models, I show that conflict fatalities do not have a direct effect on subsequent migration, while the number of years a district has had a development resource center directly increases the likelihood of migrating. However, the interaction between development and conflict is negative and significant. These findings suggest that conflict’s legacy does not directly impact the likelihood of respondents migrating but instead changes the nature of the relationship between development and migration. This finding illuminates conflict’s potential long-term consequences for migration and extends the migration-development nexus by addressing the role of conflict in the relationship between development and migration. In particular, it suggests that migration research in conflict-affected countries should incorporate measures of both conflict and development, even after a given conflict has ended.

El nexo migración-desarrollo en la Agenda 2030 para el desarrollo sostenible

What are the characteristics and what implications do the different frameworks of the migration-development nexus have in relation to the problem of migration-related conditionality? What framework of the migration-development nexus does the 2030 Agenda offer?
 With this contribution we intend to reflect on the problem of migration-related conditionality. To do this, we analyze the political frameworks that support the different approaches to the so-called migration-development nexus. Our objective is to place this reflection in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to find out what vision of the migration-development nexus it formulates and, therefore, about the problem of migration-related conditionality.
 The aid conditionality aid has been present since the origins of development policy. There are several types of conditionality, among which economic and political must be highlighted. As of September 11, the securitization of aid development was reinforced. Subsequently, the phenomenon of international migration became involved in that process. In this way the so-called migration-related conditionality arises. Firstly, we briefly expose the historical evolution of conditionality. Secondly, we explain the two theoretical-conceptual approaches to the migration-development nexus, which offer conflicting views: one approach states that migration positively impacts on development, while the other understands that the impact is negative. Finally, we offer a better understanding of the framing of migration and the conceptualization of the migration-development nexus carried out by 2030 Agenda. In this wat we can conclude whether this initiative seek to reduce or increase the migration-related conditionality.

Examining change in migration strategies over the life course of international PhD students.

This article examines PhD students' migration plans and strategies, their development over time, and the circumstances of their potential or real return within the changing life course context. The research is based on a longitudinal qualitative study conducted over six years (2012-17) among 21 international PhD students coming from developing countries, studying in the Netherlands. Results are discussed in the context of a cultural shift and the migration-development nexus. We argue that: (1) strong feelings of responsibility towards both their family and the development of their country of origin are leading factors shaping their migration strategies; (2) specialisation of their research project and its applicability in the home country also importantly influences their return potential; and (3) an apparent moral responsibility towards the home society and a willingness to help countries of migratory origin was growing stronger over the observation time (in harmony with post-materialist values the informants gained when studying in the Netherlands) along the progressing life course, which creates a broad potential for brain gain.

Disentangling the migration-development nexus using QCA

ABSTRACT Under what circumstances does human development facilitate or constrain emigration? Moreover, under what conditions is migration a driver for rather than an obstacle for development? Empirical evidence identifying the drivers of the two-way relationship between migration and development is still rather mixed, in part also because of conceptual and methodological shortcomings of the methods generally applied to this subject matter, which often cannot handle the complex links and interactions between migration and development. This paper engages with the opportunities and challenges of investigating the migration–development nexus using Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) as a methodological approach to explore the complex configurational two-way relationship between migration and development processes. We hereby address a methodological gap in the scientific literature investigating the migration-development nexus and propose QCA as a method for enriching the empirical base and expanding our knowledge and understanding of this complex relationship.

The Regional Migration-Development Nexus in Australia: What Migration? Whose Development?

Both regional resettlement of refugees, and the attraction of different kinds of migrant labor to regional areas, have been significant trends in Australia’s recent migration policies. Using the concept of the migration-development nexus, we address important questions about the nature and scope of development these different policies aim to promote, and achieve. We examine the intersection of policies and initiatives implemented to encourage and support refugee settlement and regional migration in Australia with the perspectives of regionally settled migrants and refugees on their regional migration outcomes. We argue that recent government policies, and multi-stakeholder initiatives aimed at regional migration and/or settlement, cast migrants as differential contributors to regional development, useful either in terms of their skills (skilled migrants) or their labor (backpackers, seasonal workers, refugees). The co-presence of different groups of migrants in regional locations is also shaped by the fluctuating employer demands for mobile labor in combination with visa regulations. We draw on data from three projects on regional settlement, multiculturalism and mobilities to analyze three important elements of regional migration that are central to a critical analysis of the nexus between rural migration and development in regional Australia: the complex roles of employers; the embedding of regional migration in migrants’ life courses; and the tension between long-term migration outcomes and quick fixes. By focusing on development as it is experienced by migrants themselves and interpreted by different stakeholders in regional migration, we draw attention to the limitations of a purely instrumental view of migrants as agents of regional development. We argue that the sustainability of regional migration policies will depend on recognizing the important role of migrants’ hopes, needs and aspirations as well as their rights, and the unintended human costs and consequences of exclusively economically driven migration policy design.

Migration and Democratization in Brazil: The Case of Electoral Participation and Competition.

Deepening democratization in Brazil has coincided with sustained flows of domestic migration, which raises an important question of whether migration deepens or depresses democratic development in migrant-sending regions. Whereas earlier perspectives have viewed migration as a political "brain drain," we contend that out-migration can generate resources that promote democratic processes back home. We investigate the role of migration in two aspects of democratization: electoral participation and competition. The analyses are based on spatial panel data models of mayoral election results across all municipalities between 1996 and 2012. The results show that migration increases electoral participation and competition in migrant-sending localities in Brazil. This study also identifies the sociopolitical context that conditions the impact of migration: the effect is most often present in the context of rural-urban migration and is more pronounced in sending localities with less democratic political structures. Moreover, using spatial network models, we find evidence for the transmission of political remittances from migration destination municipalities to origin municipalities. The present study extends the research on the migration-development nexus to the political arena, thus demonstrating the value of integrating demographic processes into explanations of political change.

International Migration, Remittances and COVID-19: Economic Implications and Policy Options for South Asia

ABSTRACT COVID-19 has disrupted the flow of international remittance that many South Asian economies depend upon. This ‘remittance shock’ is likely to catalyse a downturn in foreign exchange earnings, worsen structural unemployment and threaten the welfare of millions of low-income families. We situate the pandemic as an unprecedented challenge to the migration-development nexus in South Asia and examine the economic implications for three remittance economies: India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. We evaluate those countries’ existing responses to the crisis and discuss policy alternatives, highlighting the need to recalibrate development strategies by reducing reliance on migration and remittances.

The Politicization of the Migration–Development Nexus: Parliamentary Discourse on the European Union Trust Fund on Migration

AbstractThe European Union's development policy has become increasingly intertwined with other policy fields, which erodes the objectives of this policy domain in their own right. We specifically look at the linkages with migration policy, which has been a highly politicized EU policy domain. This article assesses the EU migration–development discursive linkages by addressing two related questions: how and to what extent has this nexus been politicized in Europe? We focus on two dimensions of politicization, namely salience and the polarization of opinions within the context of national parliaments. Through a conceptualization of argumentation lines this article sheds light on how the nexus has been translated into political communication by political actors. We conclude that there are varying, often opposing, argumentation lines on how the migration–development nexus is conceived – that are more complex than the distinction between ‘preventive’ and ‘restrictive’ approaches as identified in the literature on EU external migration policy.

International Migration and Development: A Dyadic Analysis of the Americas, 1970-2010.

This paper assesses the migration-development nexus from a new, relational perspective, providing a closer test of existing theories of cross-national dynamics, including migration and development. Using bilateral data, we assess the relationship between migration (im)balances and wage differentials between pairs of countries in the Americas, from 1970 to 2010. The analysis reveals a positive feedback between international migration and cross-national inequalities. Migration responds strongly to wage gaps, which motivate more uni-directional, or imbalanced migration flows in country-pairs. This relationship is particularly strong in contiguous countries. Similarly, wage gaps respond to migration imbalances, which increase per capita income differences in country-pairs, although the effect of migration on wage differentials is smaller than the effect of wage differentials on migration. Together, the results suggest that the migration-development nexus is characterized by a strong internal momentum.

Another nexus? Exploring narratives on the linkage between EU external migration policies and the democratization of the southern Mediterranean neighbourhood

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century and after two turning point events – 09-11 terrorist attacks and the ‘Arab spring’ – both migration control and democracy promotion became central issues within EU foreign policy, in particular to what concern its relations with the southern Mediterranean neighbourhood. However, although many authors allude to the relation between these two policy dimensions, little is known about their linkage. On the one hand, the debate about EU external migration policies narratives has revolved mainly around the migration-security and migration-development nexus. On the other, whereas the developmental paradigm has dominated the root-causes approach little attention has been given to its political dimension. This article aims to overcome these limitations through exploring these other nexus: the one between these policies and the democratization of southern Mediterranean countries. To investigate this nexus I follow a Narrative Policy Analysis approach - the most suitable for investigating issues of high complexity, uncertainty and polarization, which seems to be precisely the case of EU external migration policies. Hence, drawing on longitudinal and interpretative content analysis of EU official documents covering the period between 1995 and 2018, this study seeks to expose the main narratives casted by the EU on the issue and to identify if there has been consistence or change in the stories and arguments over time and in particular, before and after the ‘Arab spring’. Ultimately, the goal was to confirm the presence of this nexus by exposing its complexity and trying to understand its configuration. This is considered as an important step towards further disentangling the logics and impacts of the externalization of EU migration policies towards its Southern Mediterranean neighbourhood.

Skilled Youth Outmigration from Serbia in a Developmental Perspective

This article conceptualizes contemporary mass emigration of skilled youth from post-transitional societies such as Serbia in the context of globalization and transnationalism. Today, developed and knowledge-based economies are searching for young, highly educated professionals (IT professionals, scientists, researchers, medical staff, etc). Massive mobility has been motivated by better work prospects and life choices, especially in nations undergoing large social changes, i.e. in the process of their insertion into the world’s capitalist system. However, new theoretical perspectives and corresponding policy responses might be helpful in addressing this phenomenon not only as a loss for sending countries but also as a potential gain. Skilled youth migration might be transformed into ‘brain gain’ and ‘brain circulation’ taking into account a wider migration–development nexus. This article discusses two possible options in the context of a network society: transnational entrepreneurship and diaspora. These might prove to be powerful incentives for modernizing local economies, alleviating poverty and reducing unemployment. Regrettably, policy makers in Serbia, as well others from the region, are neither fully aware, nor engaged in potential utilization of these resources.

Broadening the Remittance Debate: Reverse Flows, Reciprocity and Social Relations Between UK-Based Ghanaian Migrants and Families Back Home

Remittance is arguably the most uncontroversial variable within the migration-development nexus. Evidently studies on remittances have focused largely on the developmental outcomes of such transfers in the Global South. Drawing on a survey with a cross-section of Ghanaian migrants living in Cambridge, UK, and phone interviews with migrants' families back home, we highlight that the conceptualisation of remittances as unidirectional flows from the Global North to South inadvertently portray families back home as passive actors in remittance flows. Our findings suggest that remittances are part of broader reciprocal social relations, involving material and non-material, bidirectional flows between migrants and their families back home in Ghana. Thus, while migrants continue to send significant financial resources to their families back home, their families also provide to migrants the needed material and non-material resources (e.g. childcare support, sending haircare and other indigenous food and medicinal products, supervision of migrants’ building or businesses investments). This reverse flow of material and non-material resources to migrants, which involves significant and mostly unpaid time and labour costs, are embedded within social relations, which (re)produce reciprocity and relational ties within and across migrants and their families back home. In effect, remittance and reverse remittances serve as a double-edge sword: they can provide avenues for migrants to build and maintain familial, friendship and co-ethnic ties but can also serve to break such ties through competition and conflicts.

The Timing and Direction of Migrant Money Circulation: Peruvian Migrants in Switzerland

Remittances are sent and received to maintain family livelihoods, to cover the education costs of younger members, to provide care services for ageing family members, to support business ventures, etc. Although a growing body of literature assesses the role of remittances in the migration-development nexus, past studies have rarely focused on time-sensitive dimensions such as family life-cycles and life-course stages. In addition, a dynamic analysis of social stratification based on gender, age, citizenship status and class within and between these families serves to enrich a transnational perspective on remittances. Life-course perspectives represent a suitable framework for tracing money circulation across multiple national settings and dynamic processes of social stratification. Beyond the common image of remittances being sent from host to home countries, Peruvians in Switzerland also receive money from their home country.

Spanish NGOs’ discourses and practices in migration and development: A critical discussion from a global perspective

ABSTRACTThe concept of migration and development (M&D) and practices in that area have lain on many countries’ political agendas for decades, with no clear focus or coherent strategy knitting together the various stakeholders working in the sphere. This article analyzes the main conceptions of M&D in the discourses and practices of Spanish NGOs and compares them with the focuses that have arisen in the academic sphere, for a look into primarily five issues: whether NGOs have their own focus on the migration-development nexus or are swayed by public institutions’ guidelines; whether NGOs steer their actions more toward preventing and restricting migration or toward promoting development; whether NGOs also consider potential effects on development in receiving countries; whether NGOs entertain the idea of participatory actions where immigrant persons hold centre stage; and whether NGOs fulfil their civic and political function as a propounding force to contribute to democratic governance in migration matters.

Dimensions of agency in transnational relations of Afghan migrants and return migrants

Abstract This article examines agency unfolding in the relationships that Afghan migrants and return migrants maintain with Afghanistan. Based on qualitative case studies of Afghan diaspora groups in Germany and the UK and Afghan return migrants in Kabul, we focus on how people engage with and position themselves in relation to Afghanistan. Drawing on Emirbayer and Mische’s tri-dimensional concept of agency in combination with Vigh’s idea of social navigation, we approach affective relations and forms of practical (transnational) engagement as expressions of agency. Research on migrants and return migrants is seldom brought together. However, exploring the types of engagement of these two groups with Afghanistan is telling for three reasons. First, it enables us to identify parallels and differences in the way Afghan migrants and return migrants relate to Afghanistan. Secondly, we uncover how ideas of change vary in different settings and under different socio-political conditions. Thirdly, we demonstrate that ties between people and place are not innate but an expression of agency and self-positioning. These in turn are contingent on individual characteristics and the context in which people are embedded. Compared to policy-oriented discussions on the migration-development nexus and on forms and outcomes of migrant engagements, our study yields a more nuanced understanding of entanglements between agency and engagement among Afghan migrants and return migrants.

Nesting self-employment in education, work and family trajectories of Romanian migrant returnees

Challenging a biased view towards self-employed returnees as neoliberal selves, as the normalized approach of the migration–development nexus tends to depict them, this article builds an alternative conceptual framework to unpack the variegated experiences of migrant returnees’ self-employment trajectories in post-socialist Romania. The authors argue that the overemphasis on the benefits of return migration for origin countries through the skewed focus on the migrants’ accrual of human and financial capital and their ostensible entrepreneurial orientation has resulted in disregarding more influential biographical and cultural aspects. Life story interviews with middle-aged participants reveal the complex subjectivities that are co-produced by the habitus formed during communism – as children born and raised within working-class families – neoliberalism’s rise during the post-socialist transition, and migration, which altered the pursuit of their life goals. The article documents three distinct self-employment pathways among the interviewed return migrants, suggesting that the subjectivities of the self-employed are not uniformly confined to neoliberal self-understandings.

Bloody Diaspora Theory for the Twenty-First Century: African and Asian Heritage Migrants Return

First, I begin by interrogating why blood as kinship, ethnicity, nationality, identity, etc., has been so clinically removed from so much Humanities-oriented poststructuralist and postcolonial diaspora theory, rendering it both bloodless and hostile towards the notion of a return to an ethnic homeland. Second, I analyze policies based on the “migration-development nexus” promoted by organizations like the World Bank with its reliance on a conception of bloody roots and an enduring ethnic homeland that is both essentialist and static. To point out the limitations of these theories, I examine some recent frontier heritage migrations in which Asian and African diasporic elites raised in Euro-America are “returning” to their ethnic homelands. Finally, I attempt to lay out some of the parameters of a more fluid, supple theory of diaspora for the twenty-first century that explores blood as an analytic tool that takes into account not only mobile yet bloody identities but also mutable places, dynamic economic change, and new forms of spatiotemporality. In other words, returning to the homeland is not what it used to be, hence new constructions of blood identification are now possible.

The biopolitics of the migration-development nexus: Governing migration in the UK

While politicians in the United Kingdom (UK) have engaged in fractious debate over the appropriate way of responding to the myriad issues arising from the so-called migration or refugee crisis in recent years, there is an apparent cross-party consensus regarding the ability of overseas aid and development spending to reduce levels of global economic migration. This suggests that the central tenets of what is known in the policy literature as the ‘migration-development nexus’ have been accepted by the political establishment in the UK, demonstrating a belief that development spending can be used to ameliorate the global economic inequalities seen as giving rise to mass migration. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s concepts of biopolitics, governmentality, and subjectification, this article argues that the migration-development nexus represents a technology for enacting a strategy of governance that operates through a dual process of enticing and maintaining mobile subjects. It is then suggested that in the UK context, this operates through the temporary nature of the time-limited visa regime, which allows migrants from outside the European Union to be ‘governed through mobility’. The article therefore illustrates how mobility can be central to governing logics, as well as something that can exceed them.

The global compact in relation to the migration-development nexus debate

The global compact in relation to the migration-development nexus debate