Role Of Migrants Research Articles

‘Where are you from’ or ‘when did you come’? Temporal dimensions in migrants' reflections about settlement and return

In this article we explore the added value of foregrounding temporal dimensions in migration research. Age at the time of migration, length of stay in the country of settlement and individual life-cycle stages matter for migrants' settlement and return considerations. However, these factors are rarely put centre stage in analyses. We draw on data from sixty-seven informants with different country backgrounds, who had either immigrated recently, arrived as children, or were born in Norway. We find that the implications of temporal dimensions cut across national and ethnic backgrounds. Age at the time of migration and the relative proportion of life spent in the origin and in the settlement country play an important role in migrants' considerations about settlement and return; as does being single, a parent with small children, or retired. An approach foregrounding temporal dimensions thus reveals the changeability of considerations over time and highlights similarities and differences beyond ethnicity.

Engaging Migrants in Translocal Partnerships: the Case of Dutch–Moroccan and Dutch–Turkish Municipal Partnerships

AbstractFrom 2000 onwards, Dutch local governments have established transnational partnerships with local governments in Morocco and Turkey, two main migrant source countries to the Netherlands. These municipal partnerships aim at strengthening and transforming local governance on both sides of the partnerships. This is particularly relevant as roles of local governments in Morocco and Turkey are changing because of decentralisation and democratisation processes, whereas Dutch municipalities face challenges related to ethnic and cultural diversity. This paper seeks to answer two questions: first, what roles migrants play within these partnerships, and second, how the involvement of migrants influences the process of knowledge exchange and mutual learning leading to changes in local governance. The paper is based on a case study approach including five municipal partnerships and contributes both to the scarce body of knowledge about the roles of migrants in transnational cooperation at the local level and to the limited research on mutual learning in municipal partnerships. The research shows migrants fulfil several roles; they act as initiators, key actors, facilitators, and contributors of specialised and cultural knowledge. Their role as facilitators in the exchanges focusing at the interfaces between local governments and citizens is particularly relevant as introducing youth participation is new in the involved municipalities in Morocco and dealing with cultural diversity is a continuing challenge in the Dutch municipalities. There still is a large untapped potential as limited use is made of involving larger groups of migrants and on drawing on their networks. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Exploring the role of migrants’ remittances in the UN's nation building and development management in Haiti

Remitting outweighs foreign aid by a rate of more than eight times, resulting in a skewed perception of the Haitian economy and consequent hindrance to development. Endowing Haitian state institutions and civil society by strengthening the potential role of migrants’ remittances in regional socio-economic reconstruction could prevent some of the mistakes uncovered in previous development policies from recurring in current nation-building initiatives. The funding gap of the United Nations’ short term funded projects could be bridged with a long term commitment of a new migrant class of investors to finance productive projects and endow regional participatory institutions.

What Will the New Generation Generate? Gendering Accumulation in Fatou Diome’s Celles qui attendent

In this paper I focus on the penultimate installment of the oeuvre of the much-celebrated Franco-Senegalese writer Fatou Diome, whose largely autobiographical work has garnered a wide following and a lucrative contract with the Flammarion publishing house. I propose that Diome’s 2010 novel Celles qui attendent strongly contributes to a discourse surrounding the roles of males and females in an African economy increasingly dominated by migration. Diome started as a writer who portrayed the empowered role of the female migrant, who is able to accumulate financial capital in Europe and send it back to Africa in order for males to slowly hoard goods and start businesses. Her more recent work, however, has been marked by a shift to reflect a portrait of Senegalese society and migration that is backed by sociological studies: men take on the role of migrants, tempted by “marchands d’illusions” 'merchants of illusions,' but are also determined to get away from social pressures in order to accumulate their own set of experiences in the world, at a distance from the expectations of a traditional African society. Women, on the other hand, are left in extreme proximity to the problems of everyday life on a cash-starved continent, as they have to go about the business of surviving and raising children, engaging in many forms of hoarding that have to do with accumulating finance, memories and myths.

Migration and Transnational Commitment: Some Evidence from the Italian Case

The idea of the active role of migrants in supporting the socio-economic development of their homeland is the subject of growing interest in academic and institutional debates. This expectancy can be framed theoretically in the notion of transnationalism, where the migrant is seen as an actor placed simultaneously in two or more social fields: those of the societies of origin and of destination. This article discusses this view from the point of view of the behaviour of migrants who have settled in a new country of immigration, Italy. It refers to the empirical research concerning three transnational phenomena: (1) the development of independent economic activities, focusing on their transnational projection and the economic promotion of the migrants' homeland; (2) the economic flows, mainly remittances, generated by transnational families, especially by mothers who move abroad leaving their children at home; (3) development cooperation projects which involve migrant associations. The results suggest that we can distinguish a basic transnationalism, typical of a new country of immigration, like Italy, from an advanced transnationalism, found in the US experience of the migrants' elites engaged in many forms of transnational commitment to their homeland.

The Rise and Fall of Germans in the British Hospitality Industry, c. 1880-1920

German migrants were to be found in significant numbers in the British hospitality industry during the period 1880 to 1920. They worked as waiters, chefs, and managers of restaurants and hotels. This article has three main sections. It begins with a brief outline of the rise of restaurants and hotels in late nineteenth-century Britain and the role of migrants in this process. It then analyses the Germans in the British hospitality industry in the decades leading up to the First World War. The article then focuses upon the rise of hostility towards Germans with the approach of the Great War, which led to dismissal, internment and repatriation during the conflict.

The ties that bind: the role of migrants in the uneven geography of international telephone traffic

AbstractRecent work suggests that migrants have been a major driving force in the dramatic growth of international telephony over recent decades, accounting for large rises in telephone calls between countries with strong immigrant/emigrant connections. Yet, the existing literature has done a poor job of evaluating the substantive importance of migrants in explaining large disparities in levels of bilateral voice traffic observed between different countries. It has also failed to go very far in examining how domestic and relational factors moderate (namely amplify or attenuate) the influence of migrant stocks on international calling. Our contribution addresses these gaps in the literature. For a sample, which includes a far larger number of countries than previous studies, we show that, together with shorter‐term visitors, bilateral migrant stocks emerge as the relational variable with one of the substantively largest influences over cross‐national patterns of telephone calls. We also find that the effect of bilateral migrant stocks on inter‐country telephone traffic is greater where the country pairs are richer and more spatially distant from one another.

Choice or Mimetism in the Decision to Migrate? A European Illustration

This paper examines the role of herd behavior (mimetism) and network effects as determinants of bilateral migration flows to thirteen of the EU-15 countries. Using an adapted gravity model controlling for economic activity, welfare progressivity, geospatial, and historic relationships, the results force us to question the ways in which we explain migration flows. Herd behavior influences positively the flows of migrants to Europe, whereas the existence of network complementarities in the receiving country does not consistently predict and may in some cases reduce the likelihood of immigrant inflows. Moreover, economic activity and particularly labor market conditions play a lesser role in migrants’ choice of location than was previously thought. The introduction of herd behavior as a determinant of European Migration in our empirical analysis changes the paradigm for understanding migration and suggests that prior definitions of social perceptions are inadequate.

Migration-Induced Transfers of Norms: The Case of Female Political Empowerment

It is recognized that affirmative action, as anti-discriminatory policies whose aim is to benefit an underrepresented group, is a key driver of progress for women. However, the role of migrants in helping female voice from abroad has not been addressed yet. This paper empirically investigates the effect of international migration on the parliamentary participation of women left behind following the brand new strand of literature on ‘transfers of norms.’ Panel data from 1960 to 2000 allows us to take into account selection due to women’s eligibility, observed and unobserved heterogeneity. After having controlled for traditional political and non political factors, we show that total international migration to countries with higher female political empowerment significantly increases the female parliamentary shares in sending countries.

The experiences of migrant social work and social care practitioners in the UK: findings from an online survey

Over recent years there has been a growing interest in the role of migrants in the social care sector in the United Kingdom (UK) and beyond. This article reports on the findings of an online survey of migrant social care workers in the UK, undertaken to complement a larger scale qualitative study on the subject. The survey aimed to test hypothesised relationships between migrant workers’ characteristics, circumstances, experiences and future plans. The survey ran from February to May 2009 and was advertised widely. A total of 101 responses were received (73% of those sent a survey link). A focus group was held with seven newly appointed migrant social workers to discuss issues arising from their experiences. Survey respondents were aged 39 years on average and were predominantly (75%) women. They came from a wide range of countries and job roles, although almost half (47%) were social workers. Most mentioned financial needs and opportunity, in addition to altruistic motivations. Challenges, including bullying and mistreatment in the sector, were highlighted. These and other findings are discussed in the context of increased demand for social care workers in the developed world, and specific barriers and challenges facing different groups of migrant social care workers.

Pollen Couriers Across the Mediterranean: The Case of Migrating Warblers

Cecere J.G., Cornara L., Mezzetta S., Ferri A., Spina F. & Boitani L. 2011. Pollen couriers across the Mediterranean: the case of migrating warblers. Ardea 99: 33–42.At stopovers sites in the Sahara and on Mediterranean islands, European warblers may feed on nectar. As a consequence of this behaviour the pollen of exploited plants often sticks on the birds' bill or plumage. We analyzed pollen samples carried by migrating warblers staging at Ventotene Island (Italy), a stopover site located in the Central Mediterranean and reached by large numbers of birds after a direct flight from North Africa. We discuss the possible role of migrants as pollen vectors. A total of 38 plant taxa were recorded in the pollen samples collected on 147 migrants. Pollen of Brassica sp., Ferula communis, Citrus sp. and Eucalyptus sp. were most commonly found. The nectar of the first two plants is largely exploited by warblers on Ventotene and the presence of their pollen on plumage is principally due to nectar feeding in situ. On the contrary, Citrus sp. and Eucalyptus sp., which are scarce and absent on the island respectively, were mainly collected on dried and agglutinated samples and their presence is likely to be due to nectar feeding at other sites than Ventotene. The other 34 plant taxa were recorded with low frequencies. Overall, the data suggest that nectar feeding migrants could play a role as pollen vectors only for Citrus sp., Eucalyptus sp., F. communis and Brassica sp. However, the other less common plant taxa could also be useful markers of migration routes. We found species-specific relationships between bird species and the plants used for nectar feeding: short-distance migrants (mainly Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla and Subalpine Warbler S. cantillans) land on Ventotene when Brassica sp. flowers are more abundant and they mainly carry the pollen of this species. On the contrary, long-distance migrants (Garden Warbler S. borin and Common Whitethroat S. communis) principally transport the pollen of F. communis, whose flowering period takes place at the same time as their staging period on the island. The study underlines the tendency of warblers towards nectar feeding during migration.

“On stage, everyone loves a Black”: Afro-Ukrainian Folk Fusion, Migration, and Racial Identity in Ukraine

In the harsh snowy days of late November, 2004, I joined hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian citizens on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Independence Square in Kyiv, to protest the unfair presidential election which had been rigged in favor of the corrupt government -sponsored candidate. I was there as an international election observer and was simultaneously researching the role that Ukrainian-language popular and folk music were playing in the protests, dubbed as the Orange Revolution (Helbig 2006). Music has had such a long history of politicization in Ukraine that newspapers printed the names of Ukraine's most well-known musicians and the candidate they supported, either the opposition candidate or the government -sponsored one (Klid 2007). These affiliations were based less on political ideology as they were ruled by ethnic identity, language choice between Ukrainian and Russian, regional identity, and religious identity. Among the performers on Maidan Nezalezhnosti were an African-Jamaican duo calling themselves (Black -Browed), performing Ukrainian folk songs dressed in Ukrainian folk garb for the crowd. The passion with which the crowd embraced Chornobryvtsi made it clear that outsider validation of Ukrainian ethnic identity and culture was at the root of the protests. The crowds' chants of Chor-no-bryv-tsi! signaled an embrace of non­ Ukrainians who supported Ukrainian language and culture, perceived by protestors to be under threat by the Russian -oriented policies of the political regime. The role of African and Jamaican musicians in that critical historical moment also brought forth the role of migrants and foreigners living in Ukraine in Ukraine's ongoing political and cultural identity struggles, in terms of its vacillating leanings between more pro-Russian and pro-Western ideologies and policies. Since the 2004 Orange Revolution, the highly mediatized involvement of African musicians in Ukraine's pop-folk music scenes has broadened the contemporary public sphere beyond the ongoing ethnic Russian and ethnic Ukrainian culture wars since Ukrainian independence in 1991. The continued popularity of African musicians helps foreground issues of pluralism and multiculturalism that reinforce the notion of Ukraine as a patchwork quilt made up of many different ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups, including ethnic Russians, Russian-speaking Ukrainians, ethnic

La reconfiguración de la imagen pública del migrante a través de las organizaciones migrantes y las remesas colectivas

This article aims to highlight the transformation of the individual and collective image of migrants in Mexico. In order to do this, we first present the economic, social and political impact of remittances in our country. Second, we analyze the current debate about the role of migrants in the development processes of their region of origin. And third, we illustrate the implications of this new public visibility that migrants, both individually and collectively, have acquired at the municipal, state and federal government level.

Gaining from Rural Migrants: Migrant Employment Strategies and Socioeconomic Implications for Rural Labour Markets

AbstractNon‐agricultural employment is expanding in many rural areas in Greece, while the agricultural sector is the main employer in a great deal of rural areas. Local labour markets are diverse although dependence on family farming, small‐scale businesses, informal employment and tourist activities is constantly increasing. These developments have gradually reinforced the multifunctionality of rural areas and have brought about a demand for flexible labour power. Under these circumstances, the role of migrants has been fundamental for sustaining the multifunctional character of rural Greece, as they participate in every economic sector and their presence varies across sectors and geographical regions. Migrants should not only be conceived strictly as an agricultural labour force on the grounds that they seem to be highly mobile in rural areas. They should rather be considered more widely, as a rural labour force with multiple implications on Greek rural society and economy. The article is based on an empirical study carried out in three different localities in the Epirus region in northern Greece. On the basis of quantitative data, it analyses and interprets the multilateral, versatile impact of migrants on different rural localities. One major finding is that the contribution of migrants is crucial for the preservation of the multifunctional character of rural areas in Greece. However, migrant labour loses its collective identity by becoming increasingly individualised in its capacities, its employment conditions and its interests.

FENOMENA MIGRASI TENAGA KERJA DAN PERANNYA BAGI PEMBANGUNAN DAERAH ASAL: STUDI EMPIRIS DI KABUPATEN WONOGIRI

This research analyzes (a) patterns of labor migration from Wonogiri Regency, (b) the impact of migration on the welfare level by taking into account the income level of migrant Wonogiri Regency, and (c) the role of migrants seen from homelands conditions. The results of binary logistic analysis showed that the variables age, education, and marital status, have a significant effect on intention nomads to settle in the overseas area. Based on survey findings in the field, 88.8 percent of Wonogiri nomads do not want to settle in the overseas regions. The economic analysis through linear regression analysis to explain the role of the nomads and the impact on the regional origin that shows only one independent variable that is used has a significant influence on the local nomads income overseas, namely: level of education, while the other independent variables are family dependents, ownership of property in the area of origin, length of stay in overseas, and marital status had no significant effect.

Skilled Migration and Business Networks

The role of migrants’ networks in promoting cross border investments has been stressed in the literature, possibly making migration and FDI complements rather than substitutes in the long run. In this paper, we estimate the magnitude of such business network externalities in dynamic empirical models of FDI-funded capital accumulation. We use original data on capital and migration stocks rather than flows. Regarding migrants, we distinguish the total and skilled diasporas abroad. In both cross-sectional and panel frameworks, we find evidence of strong network externalities, mainly associated with the skilled diaspora.

Social Networks, Social Support and Social Capital: The Experiences of Recent Polish Migrants in London

There is growing interest in the role of migrants' social networks as sources of social capital. Networks are, however, often conceptualized rather loosely and insufficient attention has been paid to how migrants access existing networks or establish new ties in the `host' society.The assumption that migrants are able to access dense networks within close-knit local communities simplifies the experiences of newly arrived migrants, underestimating difficulties they may face in accessing support. Exploring the work of Putnam, as well as Coleman and Bourdieu, we critically engage with the conceptualization of bonding and bridging social capital, and the relationship between them, through an exploration of Polish migrants' networking skills and strategies. In examining the different types and levels of support derived through social ties, this article contributes to understandings of social networking by arguing for a greater differentiation and specification of networks both vertically and horizontally, but also spatially and temporally.

Skilled Migration and Business Networks

The role of migrants' networks in promoting cross border investments has been stressed in the literature, possibly making migration and FDI complements rather than substitutes in the long run. In this paper, we estimate the magnitude of such business network externalities in dynamic empirical models of FDI-funded capital accumulation. We use original data on capital and migration stocks rather than flows. Regarding migrants, we distinguish the total and the skilled diasporas abroad. In both cross-sectional and panel frameworks, we find evidence of strong network externalities, mainly associated to the skilled diaspora. These network externalities are stronger for countries exhibiting intermediate corruption index.

Habitat shifts and parasite loads of lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens)

:Responding to degradation in their original coastal habitat, increasing numbers of lesser snow geese are rearing their broods farther inland. Goslings collected in this inland, fresh water habitat have substantially lower loads of two species of caecal nematodes than do goslings collected in coastal, salt marsh habitat. This likely reflects differences between the habitats in the levels of infective stages of the parasites that are ingested by goslings during their summer foraging. In the spring, several million northward migrating adult lesser snow geese use the coast of Hudson Bay for staging and feeding rather than using more inland habitat because the latter is usually still snow- and icebound. The spring migrants leave behind copious amounts of feces in the coastal marshes that contain the eggs and larvae of the nematodes. By contrast, the inland habitat receives little fecal deposition until mid-summer and then only by the much smaller resident population of nesting lesser snow geese. There is some evidence that the infectious stages of these parasites survive the winter, but multi-year accumulations would only tend to amplify habitat differences in infective loads related to the spring deposition by migrants. The role of migrants in transmitting these nematodes highlights the important point that local host–parasite dynamics must be considered from a broader spatial scale.

Asia and Europe: Transnationalism, Multiple Linkages and Development

Currently, the role of migrants and migrant diasporas in the development of their countries of origin has been more and more in the limelight. It is now widely acknowledged that labor migrants send substantial amounts of remittances back home and that these could have a profound impact on the socio-economic development in the villages, regions and countries of origin. Moreover, it is becoming increasingly clear that over the years migrant diasporas maintain multifarious relations with the regions and countries of origin. These ties can be economic, social, cultural, religious and political in nature. Recent studies (Vertovec and Cohen, 1999; Portes, 2001; NybergSorensen et al., 2002; Haas, 2003) suggest that transnationalism - i.e., migrants being involved in their countries of destination and origin and in different locales aided by improvements in communication and transportation – could be a factor promoting development and social change in the countries of origin. Since labor migration and transnationalism are worldwide phenomena, their effects on development processes call for a comparative approach that takes the different settings into consideration. Also, more studies are required to determine the exact nature of the impacts, i.e., whether the net effects are advantageous, deleterious or mixed for the origin areas, and under which circumstances. In particular, research on the link between migrant diasporas and development from the perspective of developing countries is called for (Hugo, 2003:36). The papers in this special issue originate from an international conference to address these issues. The conference, “Contemporary Migrations in