Migration Policy Reform Research Articles

Migration Policy Reform in Morocco: Implications for Migrants, the Country, and the Region

Migration Policy Reform in Morocco: Implications for Migrants, the Country, and the Region

Independent migration commissions in Europe: The case of Austria

Austrian migration policy changed from a demand driven guest worker model between the 1960s and 1980s to chain migration, family reunion and refugee migration in the 1990s. Membership to the EU in 1995 was accompanied by economic migra-tion from other EU-member states due to faster-than-average economic growth in Austria. Population ageing and insufficient investment in further education and train-ing led to labour scarcities and migration policy reforms in 2011 and gave employer demand a key role in selecting immigrants under a point-system adapted from the Canadian and Australian models. While many elements of the Austrian system are highly developed, there is insufficient coordination among federal agencies. Austria may look to the coordinator of integration policies as a model for improving the co-ordination of policies to guide skilled labour migration.

Migration, Race and Nationhood in Argentina

Argentina has been a country of immigration since the Republican period. Moreover migration has played a key role in the construction of Argentinian nationhood. This paper traces migration policies and official accounts of migration from the nineteenth century to the present day in order to analyse the role of migration in nation-making. We argue that migration policies and official accounts of migration have changed significantly over the last 150 years. Yet, at least until the most recent migration policy reforms, these changing representations of migrants indicated major continuities of nationhood—namely, the persistent construction of Argentina as a white nation of European descendants. By tracing changes in migration policies and discourses then and now, this article addresses the relative absence of comparative works linking ‘new’ and ‘old’ migrations in Argentina. The article also shows how a historical perspective on migration continues to be relevant for understanding the experiences of contemporary migrants. The final section identifies recent changes in migration policy and discusses whether they indicate a radical departure from previous understandings of nationhood.

Capital accumulation and migration

About the Author Preface Acknowledgements 1. Migration and Capital Accumulation Introduction Argument, Method and Hypothesis Development-cum-Globalization Politics, Development and Migration Structure and Organization PART I: MIGRATION THEORY: EARLY ROOTS 2. Classical Political Economy to Neoliberal Theory Introduction Classical Model, Development and Migration Marx's Economic Theory and Migration Neoclassical Revolution Keynesian Revolution Development Economics and Migration Neoliberal Theory and Migration Conclusion 3. Poor Economic Growth with Increased Immigration Introduction Economic Theories of Migration: Push-Pull Approaches Alternative Question and Counter-Proposition Companies Hiring Illegal Immigrants Foreign-Born Workers in the US Labor Force 2007 and 2010 Economic Growth and Unemployment 2000 - 2009 Layoffs and Separations 2007 - 2009 Industry Distribution of 2008 Mass Layoffs and Separations Increased Migration During the Great Recession 2007 - 2009 Caribbean Migration to the US 2000 - 2009 Conclusion PART II: NEOLIBERAL PERSPECTIVES ON DEVELOPMENT IMPACT OF MIGRATION 4. Liberalization and of Migration Introduction Labor Mobility and Capitalist Globalization General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) and Migration The Great Financialization of Migration Conclusion 5. Development Impact of Remittances and Diasporas Introduction Diasporas and Entrepreneurship Diasporas Role in Neoliberal Economic and Social Development Critique of the Development Impact of Remittances and Diasporas Remittances, Diasporas and Power: An Alternative View Conclusion 6. Millennium Development Goals Impact of Migration Introduction Description of the Millennium Development Goals Impact of Migration on the MDGs Migration and the Limitations of the MDGs Conclusion 7. Human Development Impact of Migration Introduction On Theories of Human Development Migration and Human Development Impact of Migration on Human Development Migration and Cost Migration and Health Migration and Human Rights Policy Reforms for Human Development Impact of Migration Conclusion PART III: FAULT LINES IN NEOLIBERAL VIEWS ON MIGRATION 8. Migration Fault-lines under Neoliberal Globalization Introduction Contradictions in the Neoliberal Approach to Migration Israeli Separation Walls with Egypt and Palestine Current US-Mexico Border Issues US - Border Fence: The Great Wall of Mexico Migration Policy Issues in the EU and US Anti-Immigration in Theory and Practice Pro-Immigration Mass Movements Conclusion 9. European Union and Migration: Africa Connection Introduction EU and Migration Joint Africa-EU Declaration on Migration and Development (JA-EUDMD) Critique of the Joint Africa-EU Declaration on Migration and Development EU and Libya Libyan War and Migrants EU and Democracy in Libya Conclusion 10. Ideas for a Radical Approach to Migration Studies Introduction Some Considerations for a Radical Approach Bibliography Index

Swedish Employers and Trade Unions, Varieties of Capitalism and Labour Migration Policies

This article explores the extent to which the varieties of capitalism (VoC) approach can inform our understanding of the role of organised interests in the process of labour migration policy reform in Sweden during the 2000s. VoC scholars maintain that policymakers prefer reforms conforming to the national political economy. Employers are also thought to support policies incentivecompatible with the prevailing model of capitalism. The analysis presents a case that is partly at odds with the view of economic and social policy reform developed in the VoC approach. The analysis show that the Swedish Confederation of Enterprise prefers a market-liberal labour migration policy, while the Swedish Trade Union Confederation prefers state-coordinated labour migration policies compatible with central features of the Swedish coordinated model – active labour market policies and strong trade unions.

Defending the Swedish Model: Social Democrats, Trade Unions, and Labor Migration Policy Reform. By Gregg Bucken-Knapp. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. 178p. $68.50.

Defending the Swedish Model: Social Democrats, Trade Unions, and Labor Migration Policy Reform. By Gregg Bucken-Knapp. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2009. 178p. $68.50.

What Role Do Low-Skilled Migrants Play in the Japanese Labor Markets?

The author explores trends of low-skilled migrant labor in Japan before as well as after the global economic crisis, reviews the development of migration policies especially related to low-skilled migrants, and examines new empirical findings and draws some implications for migration policy reform in Japan. In the empirical analysis, the author stresses the effects of production fragmentation on low-skilled labor, the effects of the declining youth population on mismatches in the labor markets, and those of employment strategies by enterprises on the employment of nationals as well as foreigners at the local level. Finally, the author insists on the necessity for Japan to strengthen integration policy at the local level, in addition to immigration control policy at the national level, within the context of developing economic integration in the East Asian region.

Defending the Swedish Model: Social Democrats, Trade Unions, and Labor Migration Policy Reform

Defending the Swedish Model: Social Democrats, Trade Unions, and Labor Migration Policy Reform