migration

migration:

  • number of migrants has increased as travel has improved (steamships, airplanes)

  • migrants tend to move from lesser to more developed countries

intervening obstacles:

  • something that slows or prevents migration

intervening opportunities:

  • a closer opportunity that causes migrants to pause their journey

Ravenstines laws of migration: E.G. Ravenstine’s observations from the last 1800’s that identify general patterns of migration

  • most migrants go short distances

  • migration proceeds step by step c

  • every migration creates a counter-stream

  • long-distance migrants go to major cities

  • urban residents migrate less than rural residents

  • economic factors are the main cause of migration

  • migrants are often adults

  • technology impacts migration

  • migration increases with development

FORCED MIGRATION:

refugee: people who leave their country because of persecution based on rase, ethnicity, religion, nationality, or political opinion

  • US president sets refugee quotas per year

  • claim has been approved

asylum seeker: a migrant seeking protection in another country but his/her claim has not been approved

due to its more developed state and proximity, Europe has a strong pull factor for redugee;’s and asylum seekers:

  • stable government

  • peaceful political environments

  • universal healthcare

  • quality education

  • available jobs

internally displaced person (IDP):someone who has been forced to migrate, but has not crossed an international border (they have remained in their home country)

step migration: migrant has a long distance goal in mind and achieves it in a series of steps (intervening obstacles and opportunities)

chain migration: people migrate to be with others that migrated before them because of a family or cultural tie (ex: Irish , germans to New York City)

  • chain migration leads to urban ethnic enclaves (voluntary communities of people with the same ethnicity)

  • shapes the local cultural landscape

  • ex: chinatown in DC,”little italy” in NYC

voluntary migratrions:

  • guest workers

  • rural-to-urban migrations are common in LDC’s as people move to cities looking for jobs

rust belt to sun belt:

rust belt (detroit, cleveland, pittsburg) -

  • high taxes (push)

  • loss of factory jobs (push)

  • harsh weather (push)

sun belt (florida, texas) -

  • lower taxes (pull)

  • better weather (pull)

  • jobs in defense, aerospace (pull)

  • cost of living is often lower (pull)

rust belt and sunbelt are types of voluntary migrations

the migration transition model: explains changing causes of migration as development increases.

  1. high daily or seasonal mobility in search of food (hunter-gatherers)

  2. happening in LDC’s, rural-to-urban migration to find jobs, urbanization (movement to cities) increased rapidly

  3. most people live in cities, so the rate of urbanization slows down, international immigration may increase

  4. and 5. suburbanization - moving from the city to surrounding areas (lower housing cost, larger houses, car ownership rates), transportation and teleworking allow people to move from the crowded suburbs to rural areas, this is called counterurbanization

effects of migration: out-migration of highly educated or skilled individuals from one country to another, usually in search of better jobs, high salaries, and improved living conditions, LDC to MDC

political/social disagreements:

ex: questions over birthright citizenship, (wether all individuals born in the United States should automatically receive citizenship regardless of their parents legal status)

remittances: transfer of money by workers to people in the country from which they emigrated

  • India, china, Kyrgyzstan receive the most

other effects of immigration:

(+)

  • adds labor to the labor force

  • skills and knowledge of immigrants

  • cultural influences of immigrants

(-)

  • competition of jobs

  • cost of services - housing and healthcare

  • could lead to higher taxes

  • security concerns