Study Sheet on Migration

Key Concepts of Migration

  • Migration Definitions:

    • Migration: Permanent change of residence outside one's community of origin.

    • Immigration: Migration to a location.

    • Emigration: Migration from a location.

  • Areal Integration: Study of interactions between areas across political, economic, and social networks.

Push and Pull Factors

  • Push Factors: Negative conditions that repel individuals:

    • Unemployment (economic)

    • Underemployment (economic)

    • Cultural oppression

    • War

    • Natural disasters

  • Pull Factors: Positive conditions that attract individuals to new areas:

    • Employment opportunities

    • Freedom

    • Favorable climate

Barriers to Migration

  • Bodies of water and major topographic obstacles

  • Lack of infrastructure (roads)

  • Costs associated with migration

  • Border policies and conflicts

Migration Patterns

  • Types:

    • Rural to urban (intraregional)

    • Urban to suburban (intraregional)

    • Counterurbanization (intraregional or transmigration)

    • Urban to urban (transmigration or international)

    • Occupational migration (varied scales)

    • Circular migration (transmigrational or international)

    • Chain migration (frequently international)

Selectivity of Migration

  • Age Migration Rates (1999-2000): Varied rates of migration by age group.

Gravity Model of Migration

  • I<em>ij=kP</em>iP<em>jd</em>ijβI<em>{ij} = k \frac{P</em>i P<em>j}{d</em>{ij}^{\beta}}

    • Represents interaction between origin (i) and destination (j)

    • kk = scaling constant

    • PiP_i = size measure (population) of origin

    • PjP_j = size measure (population) of destination

    • dijd_{ij} = distance between i and j

    • β\beta = exponent adjusting for distance decay

Migration Trends

  • Scales of Migration:

    • Intraregional: Movement within a region

    • Transmigration: Movement between regions within a country

    • International: Movement from one country to another

  • Major Population Movements in the U.S.:

    • Westward expansion

    • Black Exodus from the South

    • Rural to Urban migration trends

Important Themes and Issues

  • Brain Drain: The emigration of highly skilled individuals.

  • Guest Workers: Issues related to foreign labor and employment conditions.