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The idea that information campaigns can stop migrants from engaging in troublesome journeys has been criticized in recent years on the basis that migrants are aware of the risks of their travel. This article intervenes in the discussion on the relevance of information by arguing for a more nuanced view that looks at what information migrants have, how they understand risks, and what types of information are relevant to the journey itself. This argument is illustrated with the case of high-risk transit migration from Central America through Mexico toward the USA, drawing on data from 60 interviews with migrants collected during 2017–18, a period during which transit migration came with extreme risks and a low chance of success. Our findings show that while most migrants are indeed aware that migration involves risks, they often do not understand (or believe) the exact dimensions of these risks, nor are they well informed on the journey as a whole. Besides the decision to depart or not, access to information is shown to be relevant in various aspects of migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout time, various social scientists have expressed concerns over the social effects of stigmatizing people in poverty. One political implication is that this stigmatization could contribute to solidifying existing poverty relations in the interest of elites. To explore the relevance of such predominantly Western ideas in the context of very unequal countries, this article examines the views of upper-class Mexicans in the city of Monterrey on the causes and functionality of poverty. We present results based on combined data from focus groups with young upper-class participants and local survey data on attitudes toward poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]