The causes of migration are varied, complex, and subject to change (Edexcel A-Level Geography): Revision Notes

The causes of migration are varied, complex and subject to change

Most migrants move for work or to join family members who have already migrated - voluntary migration Refugees are looking to escape conflict and poverty in their home country

Asylum seekers are people who have left their own country because of fear of persecution

Economic Migrants

↳ Majority of migrants are economic

• Most migrants move to high income locations (Europe - Blue Banana model)
• Often migrants are from middle class, not poor
  • Because migration is expensive (eg. smuggling over the border)

Economic Theories

Economic efficiency is maximised when goods, capital and labour can move freely across international borders

Friedmann Rationale for Migration

• Uneven economic growth is caused by a natural advantage (eg. raw materials)
• Over time, initial imbalances become exaggerated due to the perpetual outflow of resources, investment and migrants from peripheral regions towards the core
• Free trade and deregulated financial markets are essential for these processes
• People are regarded as an economic resource that business makes use of
• Migration is viewed as an efficient way of maximising output

Neoclassical Economic Theory

↳ Most sig push/pull factors are wage differences - causes migration from low-wage to high-wage areas

Dual Labour Market Theory

↳ Pull factors in developed countries being migrant workers to fill the lowest-skilled jobs as the home population do not want to do the work

New Economics of Labour Migration

↳ Stresses that migration causes are more complex than the neoclassical theory - eg. A household in the source country may improve their living conditions by using remittances sent by family members

World Systems Theory

↳ Trade between countries may make one country richer and the other poorer. Eg. former colonies may stay dependent on their former colonial superpower

Relative Deprivation Theory

↳ Awareness of income differences between neighbours in a source community is an important factor in migration. Successful migrants serve as examples for others in the source community and encourage them to move

Causes of International Migration

• War and conflict
• Forced military service
• Economic
• Social
• Connections
• Abuse

Advantages of Free Movement

• When there are lots of workers, wages fall because employers find it easy to fill jobs
  • Good for employers, bad for workers
• When employers cannot find enough workers with the skills they need, they have to offer higher wages to attract people
  • Bad for employers, good for workers