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Geography of population 3

Migrations

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Background What is migration? Why do people migrate? How can we classify migrations? What are the consequences of

migrations?

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Migration as spatial mobility

Types of mobility

- social mobility

- economic mobility

- cultural mobility Spatial mobility Migrations

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Why spatial mobility? Human need for movement Necessity to procure food and water

(physiological need) Necessity to visit other people (social

need)

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Spatial mobility and migration

How to separate two phenomena that are alike and not the same?

What precisely does migration mean?

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Who is not a migrant? People with itinerant lifestyle

- Nomads

- Hunters and gatherers

- Itinerant salesmen Activities including high mobility

- Commercial representatives

- Technicians on special mission

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Migration

... a change of residence, defined according to administrative criteria.

It is more than simply moving house

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The Roseman model

Residence Activities outside residence

Reciprocal movement Migration

Partial Total

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Motivation Nature/ecosystem (natural disasters of

all kinds) Society/economy (residential prestige,

unemployment, depletion of resources) Demography (population density,

ageing population) Force (wars, ideology, embargo)

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Ecosystem causes

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Social causes

high

medium

low

no data

Seychelles

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Economic causes

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Demographic causes

Rwanda Switzerland

Land

People

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Rwanda & Switzerland

Surface

sqkm

Population 2000 millions

Rwanda 26,338 8.508

Switzerland 41,285 7.180

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Force

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Migration theories 2 bodies of theories and models Deterministic theories: migration

operates according to (natural) laws and is predictable

Probabilistic theories: migration is the result of a decision and cannot be foreseen

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Who is right? Both! It is a question of scale. Macro: Certain ‘laws’ can be recognized on

the small scale (e.g. inside a country): large centres generally attract migrants

Micro: The specific motives for a particular migration can be detected on the large scale (within a municipality or a district): local circumstances influence a decision

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Ravenstein The laws of migration Distance-dependency (more short than long

distance migrants) Step-wise migration Rurals are more mobile than urbanites Women are more mobile than men but

cover shorter distances Migration causes counter-movement Dominance of economic reasons

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Gravitational model (Reilly)

Application of physical law on migrations

Attraction between two centres is inversely proportional to the distance

The larger a centre, the higher its attraction

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Gravitational formula

Iij =Pi x Pj

dij2K .

I = exchange between two populations (pi , pj), d = distance, K = a constant

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Gravitational model (Stouffer)

Introduction of ‘opportunities‘ and ‘intervening opportunities‘

… the number of persons migrate over a certain distance is proportional to the number of opportunities at destination and inversely proportional to the number of intervening opportunities.

Approach to reality

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Push-pull modelPush factors resources exhausted loss of jobs discrimination lack of marriage

partners catastrophe (natural or

man-made)

Pull factors job opportunities higher income better training

opportunities living conditions marriage

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Model by Everett Lee Combination of positive, negative and

neutral factors in regions of origin and of destination

Evaluation of the individual factors by the potential migrant

Intervening obstacles A probabilistic model with emphasis

on choice

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The Lee-model

+ -- 0 +

+ +0 - +

+ -- 0 +

+ +0 - +

Origin obstacles Destination

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The migration decision Decisions are based on logical

thinking: yes – no A migration decision is linked to a

situation of dissatisfaction or to the wish for innovation

No decision is final, but the return to exactly the former situation may be impossible

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The decision-making process (simplified)

Satisfied with current residence?

Change desirable:Decision to migrate

NO

YES No migration

Same region,other residential area

Other region, same country

Other Region, other country

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Migration typologies How to classify the ‘unclassifiable‘? Dimensions to be taken into account:

- space (distance)

- time (duration)

- motive (free will, forced)

- socio-economic situation of migrants

- internal or external migration

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ExamplesRavenstein Local migration Short distance

migration Long distance

migration Step-wise migration Temporary migration

Pierre George Intercontinental

migration International migration Rural to rural migration Rural to urban

migration

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PetersenInteraction Cause Type conservative innovative

Man-Nature Ecological pressure

primitive Nomads, Shift-ing cultivators

Man-State Policy violent Deportation Slavery

Man-State Policy Forced Flight Coolis

Man-Norms Higher claims

Voluntary Migration in groups

Pioneers

Man-Norms

(collective)

Social impulses

Mass-movements

Rural settlements

Rural exodus

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Consequences of migration

DIMENSIONS

LocalizationRegion of destination

Region of origin

Domains

-Demography-Society-Culture-Politics-Economy-Environment

SCALE

Individual Group Community Society

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The mobility transition Model developed by Zelinsky in 1970 Based on the idea that different types of

migration appear at different stages of human development (transition linked to process of modernization)

Link to theories of development stages (5 stages): pre-modern, traditional, transitional, advanced, future super-advanced societies)

Different kinds of mobility

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Frontierward migration Very strong in traditional and

transitional societies Extinct in advanced societies (no more

pioneer land)

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Rural exodus Typical for industrial revolution

(transitional) and advanced society Almost vanished in late advanced and

super-advanced societies (no more rural populations)

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Urban-urban migration Important in advanced and super-

advanced societies To some extent determined by gravity

aspects On the increase with growing

urbanization of the world

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International migration Apex reached in early advanced

societies Nowadays strongly regulated New phenomenon in the super-

advanced society: global migration (politcal, economic and ecological refugees)

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Ex-urbanization or rurbanization

Migration movement missing from Zelinsky‘s model

Urban to rural migration, motivated by aspects of quality of life (pollution, population density, crime)

Urban lifestyle is transferred to rural areas

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Substitutes Modern transportation means facilitate

commuting Modern information and telecommu-

nications technology can replace commuting

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Summary Mobility and migrations have been part

of human history since the beginnings They have always changed character Migrations are a complex phenomenon

that defies simple explanation Subjective and objective motives mix There are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ migrations