Migration

A2 Geography

Definition

Population moves from one administrative area to another

The result of a change of address

All others are types should be termed ‘Circulation’

Motives

The Push and Pull factors 5 categories1. Physical

2. Demographic

3. Economic

4. Social

5. Political

Types

The Scale (Regional, National, International) The Cause (Forced or voluntary) The Area (Rural to Urban, LEDC-MEDC)

Forced Migration Religious or political persecution, war, natural

disaster, forced labour or famine

Voluntary

Climate Employment Family Better services

Internal Migration

Migration within countries Moving house Urban to urban Urban to rural Rural to urban Such as Pioneer advances across USA

1800’s +

International Migration

Voluntary Colonisation of countries such as the USA

upto around 1924 Most is now forced due to the tightening of

immigrant policy

Area

LEDC to MEDC (West Indies to UK in the 20th century

LEDC too LEDC – refugees moving because of wars (Africa, Rwanda, Mozambique)

MEDC – MEDC (Brain drains) MEDC – LEDC (Missionaries, charity

workers, explorationists, Penal settlements)

Models of Migration

Newton’s Gravity model Lee’s Model Ravenstein’s model

Newton’s Gravity model

The number of people moving from between places A and B is equal to the population of A multiplied by the population of B and divided by the square of the distance between them.

A x B

Squared Dist

Not a particularly successful model

Lee’s Model 1966

Does not isolate push pull factors Looks at attributes for each place Decisions based on personal factors reliant on 1. Age

2. Gender

3. Marital Status

4. Education

5. Socio-economic class

Some are positive factors some are seen as negative others as neutral all this influences personal decision making process

Lee’s model introduces a refinement to push pull factors

Intervening Obstacles Both real or perceived

International boundaries, language, anxieties etc.

Ravenstein's Migration Laws (1870's-1880's)

Most migrants go only a short distance (gravity law)

Longer-distance migration favours big-city destinations

Most migration proceeds step by step Most migration is rural to urban Each migration flow produces a counter flow (i.e.

return to place of birth) Most migrants are adults--families are less likely

to make international moves Most international migrants are young males

Two way Nature of Migration

Often movement in population between two places is both ways, but unequal

The stronger one is called Dominant The weaker is the reverse or counter

migration The Total volume is called the Gross

Interchange whilst the difference is the net migration Balance

Pakistan to UK 1997

6000 Pakistanis entered the UK 2000 Pakistanis returned to Pakistan.

Stouffer's law of intervening opportunities (1940) the amount of migration over a given distance is directly proportional to

the number of opportunities at the place of destination, This is inversely proportional to the number of opportunities between

the place of departure and the place of destination. The intervening opportunities may persuade a migrant to settle in a

place en route rather than proceeding to the originally planned destination.

Stouffer argued that the volume of migration had less to do with distance and population totals than with the opportunities in each location.

Differential Migration

Based on the principle that some people are more likely to migrate than others

Significant factors include:

1. Age

2. Gender

3. Education

4. Occupation In most countries young males seem the most

migratory Gender depends on the countries development In LEDC’s men make up the majority of

migratory streams Education has a direct bearing on occupation

and therefore possibly mobility. Professionals are more migratory than unskilled.

Consequences of Migration

Overview

Demographic Consequences

Changes in the numbers and distribution of people within a region are changed.

Intermarriages are created, leading to a new group of people.

Social Consequences

Migration brings different people together leading to conflicts.

Migration however also creates understanding between different groups of people.

Rural-Urban migration creates ghettoes in cities.

Economic Consequences

This depends on the "quality" of the migrants and the economic needs of the origin and destination. Quality refers to skills, age, educational attainment, health etc.

In overpopulated areas, emigration is beneficial because it reduces the pressure on the land.

In underpopulated areas, emigration may slow down development.