International Migration in an Era of Globalization: Has it Come Out of its Marginality?

Abstract

About a decade ago, many people argued that migration was receiving insufficient attention in the development studies literature, and in policy making.¹ Much has changed since, with increasing research particularly on international migration (increasingly driven by security concerns), and a growing number of research and teaching centres and conference that focus often entirely on migration. Also, in development agencies the recognition that migration is important has been growing, and practical responses to this have been emerging.² A key question that remains, is whether and how this increased recognition of the significance of migration has entered mainstream development studies thinking, including debates on growth and poverty reduction. This question is prompted by two observations. First, despite the flourishing of migration studies, findings particularly regarding in-country migration — by far the largest proportion of total movements — often are not reflected in mainstream reports on development topics, such as the World Development Reports. While data constraints are important, they do not, in my view, provide sufficient justification for the continued lack of attention.