Although South-South migrants face much of the same discrimination and integration challenges as their South-North counterparts, South-South flows need to be analysed from a different standpoint. An investigation of immigrant experience... more
Although South-South migrants face much of the same discrimination and integration challenges as their South-North counterparts, South-South flows need to be analysed from a different standpoint. An investigation of immigrant experience in West Africa, with particular focus on Ghana, shows that despite the prevalence of intra-regional migration, most governments neglect integration issues, generating costs not only for immigrants and their families, but also for host communities. Against this background, the standard models of integration used in the North – assimilation and multiculturalism – are not necessarily applicable. On the one hand, borders are generally more porous and immigration controls more lax, so that assimilation models are not well adapted as many migrants do not stay long enough to adopt local customs. On the other, national linguistic, cultural and ethnic diversity tends to be higher in West Africa, so basing immigration integration on multicultural premise may h...
South-South migration flows outnumber the flows between South and North, and a series of developing countries have, over time, become net immigration countries. This phenomenon implies new challenges, in particular at the social level,... more
South-South migration flows outnumber the flows between South and North, and a series of developing countries have, over time, become net immigration countries. This phenomenon implies new challenges, in particular at the social level, for both the countries of origin and destination, and requires a different approach in the way we think about the governance of migration flows. This paper first describes recent trends and changing patterns in global migration, focusing on South-South migration. It discusses the new geography of migration, induced by both more restrictive migration policies in the North and more opportunities in the fast-growing converging economies of the South. The paper then highlights the social challenges that an increasing inflow of migrants entails for developing countries, in particular with regards to the integration of immigrants. Finally, building on the experience of both OECD and non-OECD countries, the paper draws a series of policy recommendations aime...
Previous research has argued that migration forms an essential component to economic convergence between countries, particularly through the labour market. This paper contributes to the debate on the use of the skill cell approach of... more
Previous research has argued that migration forms an essential component to economic convergence between countries, particularly through the labour market. This paper contributes to the debate on the use of the skill cell approach of migration devised by Borjas (2003) by applying it to Honduras in the years following Hurricane Mitch, from 2001 to 2007. Relying on individual cross-sectional data and an instrumental variable approach, the estimates show that a 10% shift in emigration of the labour force from Honduras increased wages in Honduras by around 20%, an elasticity which is much higher than previous findings in other studies on other countries. Emigration also raised the average hours worked and and underemployment (albeit marginally) and decreased self-employment, with stronger impacts for women and individuals working in rural areas. The paper also refutes the idea that the adequate ‘labour market’ on which to measure such impacts is local rather than national, an idea coher...
Previous research has argued that migration forms an essential component to economic convergence between countries, particularly through the labour market. This paper contributes to the debate on the use of the skill cell approach of... more
Previous research has argued that migration forms an essential component to economic convergence between countries, particularly through the labour market. This paper contributes to the debate on the use of the skill cell approach of migration devised by Borjas (2003) by applying it to Honduras in the years following Hurricane Mitch, from 2001 to 2007. Relying on individual cross-sectional data and an instrumental variable approach, the estimates show that a 10 % shift in emigration of the labour force from Honduras increased wages in Honduras by around 20%, an elasticity which is much higher than previous findings in other studies on other countries. Emigration also raised the average hours worked and and underemployment (albeit marginally) and decreased self-employment, with stronger impacts for women and individuals working in rural areas. The paper also refutes the idea that the adequate ‘labour market ’ on which to measure such impacts is local rather than national, an idea coh...
South-South migration flows outnumber the flows between South and North, and a series of developing countries have, over time, become net immigration countries. This phenomenon implies new challenges, in particular at the social level,... more
South-South migration flows outnumber the flows between South and North, and a series of developing countries have, over time, become net immigration countries. This phenomenon implies new challenges, in particular at the social level, for both the countries of origin and destination, and requires a different approach in the way we think about the governance of migration flows. This paper first describes recent trends and changing patterns in global migration, focusing on South-South migration. It discusses the new geography of migration, induced by both more restrictive migration policies in the North and more opportunities in the fast-growing converging economies of the South. The paper then highlights the social challenges that an increasing inflow of migrants entails for developing countries, in particular with regards to the integration of immigrants. Finally, building on the experience of both OECD and non-OECD countries, the paper draws a series of policy recommendations aime...
