Migration and Urbanization

01/01/2002

Format for printing

We Wish to Learn:

• What are the forces that cause human migration?
• What are the most significant movements of peoples in today's world?
• How are our cities growing and what are the consequences of increasing urbanization?

Jump to: [Historical Movements][Today’s Migration][Why People Migrate][Will Migration Continue?][The Displaced][U.S. Migration][Mexico to the U.S?][Urbanization][Readings]

Historical Movements

• Hominids Out of Africa
• Homo Sapiens out of Africa
• Primitive radiation's following food
• Tribes of Hunter Gatherers into River Valleys
• Exodus of Old testament
• Romans to undeveloped north, Barbarians and Mongols, etc.
• European expansion during early 1900’s
• European population doubles between 1820 and 1920, creating enormous stresses
• The Pioneer explosion occurs - across face of Earth
• Colonial powers claim over 80% of Earths surface
• in 1820, there were more than 1000 ships carrying lumber from North America to Europe - full time.
• 33 million Europeans arrive in America between 1820 and 1920
• Stalin shifted subjects around at will
• Mao redistributed millions of Chinese
• Partition of India separating Muslims and Hindus 

Today's Migration

Today, international migration is at an all-time high. About 2% of the Earths population has moved away from the country of origin, driven by job availability, civil strife, etc.
 

Relative percentage of U.S. immigrants by  region of origin

Today's migrant may be found in the developing world (generally working in the generation of primary resources such as oil) or in the developed world and are attracted by  guest worker programs, recruitment, company transfers, family reunification, personal desire, and refugee programs.

Why People Migrate

Type	Pull/Demand	Network	Push/Supply
Economic	Guest worker programs, Recruitment,  Company transfers	Job Information, Employers,  Media, Labor recruiters, Smugglers Compatriots	Unemployment Underemployment Low wages
Non Economic	Family reunification's, Personal desire	Transport and communication networks Communities, Refugees	War, Political and religious persecution

Examples

• Germany in the 1960’s instituted a guest worker program, designed to provide labor for factories and assembly lines
• In 1973, Germany ended its guest worker program, but the established migration continued nonetheless driven by push and network factors.
• German managers are used to hiring migrants
• Economy structured around wage scales, etc.
• Plentiful supply of laborers, etc.
• Similar flows continue, for example, between Latin America and the United States, Morocco and France, Indonesia and Malaysia, etc.

Will Migration Continue?

• Uneven Population Growth
• Between 1950 and 1995, average life expectancy increased from 41 to 64 years. Population more than doubled. Rise in developing world was greater
• Population share of the developing world went from 70% in 1950 to 80% in 1995.
• Communications Revolution
• Improved knowledge of opportunities
• lower cultural barriers
• Transportation Revolution
• Migrants can travel anywhere today at costs that are relatively low compared with earlier times (e.g., 1700’s)
• Human Rights Revolution

The Displaced

• 1951 UN Convention on Refugees: defines refugees solely in terms of persecution
• Excluded are those who fear famine or are pushed out by natural disasters
• Overwhelming majority come from developing nations. Many of them go (or try to go) to other developing nations.

U.S. Migration

• 1790-1820: primarily English speaking
• 1840-1850’s Irish/German
• 1880-1914 South and East Europeans to factory jobs
• W.W.I limited immigration
• 1920’s quota system implemented to maintain northern European immigration base
• Great Depression and W.W.II limited immigration
• 1965: Elimination of country- by-country quotas - migrant origin shifts to Asia and Latin America - ~800,000 persons/yr
• ~55% family reunification
• ~15% employees
• ~15% refugees
• ~12% other categories

• Per capita Income (1990): Mexico $5,980; U.S. $21,360.
• Mexico is U.S.’s third largest trading partner, sending 70% of its exports to the U.S.
• Two thirds of foreign investment in Mexico is from the U.S.
• 3,000 mile border. 2 million Mexican immigrants (~1 million illegal)
• 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act legalized about million undocumented immigrants

Future projections: 1994-2025
 
 

Global urban population in developed and developing countries
 
 
 

Global rural  population in developed and developing countries 
(same legend as above figure)
 
 

Global urban growth rates

Readings and References:

• “International Migration: A Global Challenge”, Population Bulletin, Population Reference Bureau, Inc.., Vol. 51, No. 1, 1996
• Robert Geodes, Ed., Cities in our Future, Island Press, 1997.
• Samuel P. Hunting ton, The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order, Simian and Schuster, 1996.
• Peter van deer Veer, Nation and Migration, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1995
• Joel E. Coven, How Many People can the Earth Support?, Norton, 1995.
• United Nations, International Migration Policies, UN Publication, 1995.

World Resources  1996 – 1997   :  The Urban Environment