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This paper presents a gender analysis of the South African government's proposed new policy on international migration, identifying a number of areas of implicit gender discrimination. Such "discrimination by default" is of more than academic relevance, having important implications for national and regional development. Research undertaken by the Southern African Migration Project indicates a growing "feminization" of migration to South Africa from the Southern African region, as well as gender-specific motives and patterns of migration. If migration is to be effectively managed, such realities must be taken into account. The paper concludes by advocating a development-centered, "household strategies" approach, both in understanding international migration to South Africa and in the further development and implementation of legislation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the economic effects of migration in North Macedonia. Remittances of immigrants for small countries with disabilities of economic competitiveness and with a significant balance of payments deficit such as North Macedonia are of particular importance. They enable foreign exchange reserves to remain at optimum levels, maintain a stable level of the national currency exchange rate and intensify economic development. The main objective is to highlight the importance of remittances in the economic development of North Macedonia and to suggest a more stimulating policy to encourage migrants to invest in their home country. Direct and indirect remittances account for about 20% of GDP in the economy of North Macedonia Such a level of remittances in which over 80% are of Albanian ethnicity indicates the contribution of this ethnicity to the economy of North Macedonia. The paper presents the dynamics of remittances and GDP in the last decade Parabolic regression is used in econometric analyzes, defined on the basis of the frequency distribution diagram. The interdependence of remittances and economic development in North Macedonia is analyzed in the last decade 2008/18. At the same time, the interdependence of the same indicators for neighboring countries such as Albania and Kosovo are presented. The empirical analysis of the correlative relation between remittances and GDP, expressed through coefficients of coercion, alliance and correlation, indicates a genuine link between development rates and remittances of immigrants in North Macedonia and two other Albanian states. The coefficient of determination shows that remittances have impacted the economic development of North Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo in the last decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper serves as an introduction to the three substantive papers in this themed section on the impact of migration on the well-being of the ‘left behind’ in Asia. In the light of recent migration trends such as the ‘feminization’ of migration and ‘brain-drain’ of health workers in the region, the paper provides a brief review of the existing scholarly literature on the vulnerability of different groups of the 'left behind’, particularly women, children and the elderly. It argues that a multi-dimensional approach is needed, taking into consideration not only the economic impact of remittances but also factors such as social networks and gender effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the immigration literature by generating two unique non-economic quality of life (QOL) indices and testing their role on recent migration patterns. Applying the generated QOL indices in conjunction with four independent welfare measures to an augmented gravity model of immigration, this paper finds an insignificant relationship between the six non-economic QOL measures and immigration flows for a panel of 16 OECD countries from 1991 to 2000. However, the results suggest that other factors such as the stock of immigrants from the source country already living in the OECD destination country, population size, relative incomes, and geographic factors all significantly drive the flow of immigration for the sample tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over recent decades global labour markets have emerged and skill shortages in particular sectors have generated an international competition for the best and brightest. The developed world is seen to ‘poach’ this talent from poorer countries, with the resultant ‘brain drain’ undermining their capacity to develop. This paper calls into question the assumption that the emigration of the highly skilled will automatically represent a loss to the country of origin. The paper positions itself between the two extremes of brain drain as constituting a pure loss or a pure gain for sending countries and calls for a more moderate approach to skilled migration and its impact on development. The paper goes beyond the simple brain drain/brain gain dichotomy by looking at the flow of the skilled within specific geographic spaces and the resultant policy dilemmas and options. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In our globalised age of accelerating travel and communication, many migrations and other forms of mobility are informed by a variety of emotional, affective and sexual liaisons, attachments and expectations, which can be powerful and necessary motivations for mobility and for the risks taken in crossing boundaries. In some cases, the emotional and sexual motivations involve economic sacrifices; in others, especially for migrants from poor countries, they can also be a means to economic betterment. In yet others the economic imperative of acquiring work and income through migration implies a loss of emotional expressiveness and sexual identity. In this introductory paper to the special issue, we argue for both a 'sexual turn' and an 'emotional turn' in mobility studies, stressing also the intersectionality of these two dimensions. Some of the most productive research on sexuality in relation to mobility comes from 'queer theory', an intrinsically post-structuralist heuristic paradigm which challenges established heteronormative and homonormative categories in favour of an emphasis on the polymorphous and performative dimensions of sexuality. The final part of the article provides an overview of the papers that follow and the themes they explore. Taken together, the papers investigate different globalised intersections of love, sexuality and migration, and the way they inform, and are informed by, existing narratives and practices of migration and settlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of this paper is on an attempt to quantify economic losses due to ongoing and vast brain drain emigration from Serbia. We claim that socio‐economic losses in terms of implicit and explicit costs related to upbringing and education of emigrants as well as lost production are paramount. Therefore, the main argument is in line with pessimistic stances on migration and its effect on Serbian development. Massive emigration, especially of educated individuals, results in a great number of incalculable deficits for the country, which cannot be expressed and measured in monetary terms only. The authors argue that these are even more striking when viewed from a holistic perspective factoring in demographic, social, political, cultural and intellectual impacts. It is also shown how emigration of the highly educated greatly undermines local democracy and social cohesion in Serbia. Nevertheless, the authors also take note of contemporary transnational perspectives on migration and development and present possible policies aimed at exploiting advantages of human capital and social networks of migrants and diaspora, circular mobility and returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Despite the formal achievement of the free movement of labour within the EU, the institutional characteristics of the labour markets of the Member States may influence European mobility. The paper seeks empirical evidence of the relationship between labour market institutions and intra‐EU migrations, estimating a gravity model for bilateral migration for the period 2001–11. The results indicate that trade union density negatively correlates with the size of bilateral migrations: destinations with relatively high union density are associated with lower migration inflows. Since these countries tend to have a relatively flat earnings distribution, it is also investigated whether their earnings structure reduces their attractiveness as destinations hindering the access to their labour market. Even if a dependence between the earnings dispersion and migrations is found, trade union density remains the main driver of migration patterns. Clear effects of employment protection on EU mobility are not found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies how international trade affects emigration in developing countries. This is a new aspect as previous studies investigated the impact of immigration on trade from host countries perspective. However, there are also reasons to believe that trade may affect the propensity to emigrate in the home countries, leading to potential brain drain in developing countries, especially given the theoretical hypothesis in Stolper–Samuelson (S–S) theorem within Heckscher–Ohlin (H–O) factor-proportion model that more educated workers are more likely to emigrate due to an increase in international trade. When low-skill abundant developing countries liberalize trade, the reward of the scarce factor (skilled labor) is reduced in these countries, but it increases in the high-skill abundant developed countries. Therefore, skilled workers in the developing countries see a strong incentive to migrate to developed countries. To test this hypothesis, this paper utilizes a panel of 133 developing countries for the period of 1980–2010 and finds that high-skilled workers are more likely to emigrate with trade while there appears to be no effect of trade on low-skilled workers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the present paper we aim to outline a series of specific features of returnee entrepreneurship in Romania. In order to promote the phenomenon and to raise awareness among policy makers in regard with its potential, in the present paper we put forward a series of preliminary results specific to an ongoing complex and comprehensive field research in the area of returnee entrepreneurship in Romania. In general, these refer to reasons for returning to Romania, to forms of entrepreneurial manifestations, to benefits associated with entrepreneurship, to the influence of the migratory experience on the entrepreneurial process, to the obstacles encountered during the entrepreneurial demarche, etc. By placing the research in a country with a high potential for developing returnee entrepreneurship but poorly investigated in this area, through this paper we aim at bringing a contribution to the diversification of the international scientific literature and to the development of the national one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to examine the dynamic relationship among immigration rate, GDP per capita, and and real wage rates in the USA. Design/methodology/approach -- The paper implements the Johansen-Juselius (1990, 1992) cointegration technique to test for a long-run relationship; and for short-run dynamics the authors apply Granger causality tests under the vector error-correction model. Findings -- The results show that the long-run causality runs from GDP per capita to immigration, not vice versa. Growing economy attracts immigrants. The authors also find that immigration flow depresses average weekly earnings of the natives in the long-run. Originality/value -- The authors are not aware of any study on the USA addressing the impact of immigrants on labor market using a tripartite approach by explicitly incorporating economic growth. It is therefore important to pursue a theoretically justified empirical model in search of a relation to resolve on apparent immigration debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conceptually, this paper relies on the asset accumulation framework and identifies its relevance to work on Argentine migrants to Spain and returnees. The asset accumulation framework represents an innovative approach to understanding the complexities of migratory flows in a transnational context. In order to comprehend and tackle migration, this framework pays particular attention to investment and savings in various domains, including the financial, social, human, civic and political fields. Responding to gaps in current studies, the objective of this paper is twofold. First, it expands the asset accumulation framework by differentiating between civic and political assets. Second, using data drawn from interviews conducted among Argentine migrants and returnees in the cities of Barcelona and Buenos Aires, this paper fleshes out the definition of civic assets. The findings indicate that, for interviewees, moving to Spain implied the accumulation of civic assets that enhanced the development of a more equitable and democratic society. Respondents incorporated new civic capabilities in several areas, including increased environmental awareness and tolerance for minority groups, as well as the acquisition of knowledge about equity and labour rights. In addition, results suggest that, as a result of the migratory experience, many interviewees went through reflective processes that made them question their old presumptions about both the receiving and sending societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Great Britain established the colony of South Australia (SA) in 1834, requiring that revenues from colonial land sales be used to subsidize passage for emigrants to SA. Their immigration contract required the SA government to provide emigrants unable to find private sector work with employment on public works. We use new data on the compensation of relief workers and private sector workers to examine how the SA unemployment system functioned before and after a major economic crisis began in August 1840. We conclude that the unemployment system provided highly compensated relief employment to a small number of migrants prior to the crisis. As the number of migrants claiming relief employment soared between August 1840 and October 1841, the government drastically cut relief compensation. The cuts occurred in tandem with the release of newly surveyed rural lands, which together provided incentives and opportunities for workers to move to rural areas to seek employment. Finally, a comparison of the SA employment relief program with a temporary employment relief program in New South Wales (NSW) shows that the NSW program neither guaranteed relief employment nor provided jobs for all assisted migrants without work in NSW during the 1843–1845 period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International migration has become one of the most debated topics in many developed and developing countries. Host countries are concerned about the socioeconomic consequences of international migration, while sending countries--from a developing country's perspective--are concerned about the brain drain and loss of their younger population. This paper presents a concise literature review on existing theories of international migration, and long-run effects of international migration on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). The empirical studies reviewed in this paper indicate a positive and statistically significant relationship between international migration and FDI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I will interrogate the new ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs), with a view to understanding the place of migration therein. This analysis is undertaken for the purpose of anticipating (or forecasting) the unintended consequences of the inclusion of migration within this new development agenda. The key argument advanced in this paper is that the SDGs represent a normative framing of migration that sustains a problematic understanding of migration, and reproduces a vision of development that has long been implicated in the production of unequal and deleterious migrant mobilities. I show that while the SDGs redress the previous silence on migration in the Millennium Development Goals, they continue to normalize a problematic understanding of the role of migration in the global organisation of development. This will, in all likelihood, do little to transform the structural and political impediments to sustainable and equitable migrations, and thus deny the promises of development to many people on the move. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper provides a critical perspective on recent contributions to the economics literature, and associated philosophical arguments, that downplay negative effects of skilled migration on developing countries. The assertion that such migration incentivises investment in human capital is shown to rely on shaky theoretical foundations and weak empirical evidence. The associated economic literature suggesting a net positive effect of brain drain is at odds with literatures on the positive effects of human capital and education on economic growth. The manner in which net effects are determined also demonstrates that such contributions are utilitarian in nature. Identifying those who are the worst affected by brain drain, as well as the possible decision of a citizen placed behind the veil of ignorance, supports the view that opposing barriers to brain drain is inconsistent with a Rawlsian social welfare function. The undermining of institutions by skilled emigration is a fundamental consideration neglected by the economics literature without justification and, again, contradicts literatures on growth and institutions within economics. The economic theory of education can also be shown to support the view that depriving governments of the power to limit migration undermines states’ ability to resolve market failures. A number of other issues are identified that deserve greater consideration, including reflexivity in research on brain drain, the political economy of skilled migration and the philosophical status of nation-states. Despite unreliable econometric evidence, there is sufficient basis and justification to act. The paper concludes by briefly sketching possible actions under different degrees of international cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

As one of Asia’s key hubs for transient workers, Singapore’s migration regime creates particularly gendered streams of labour, especially among lower skilled occupations, as is apparent in two key sectors – domestic work and construction work. Drawing on surveys with Bangladeshi construction workers and Indonesian domestic workers based in Singapore, as well as in-depth interviews with each group, this paper examines gendered issues of temporary labour migration, precarity and risk, as they occur against a backdrop of migrant indebtedness. In this paper, we argue that migrant indebtedness occurs along a spectrum that ranges from less visible, or what we call ‘silently’ incurred forms of debt, through to more ‘resonant’ types of debt that are acquired upfront and thus more readily quantifiable. Using this spectrum of migrant indebtedness, we aim to complicate debates about debt-financed migration by underscoring the ways in which notions of debt and unfreedom can be imbricated with both constraints and opportunities for migrants’ agency. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper examines two key dimensions of the impact of immigration for Australia and related policy aspects. One is sub-national and the other is national. They are, first, the regional location aspects of immigration and, second, the aggregate unemployment implications of immigration. These are chosen so as to focus on two important issues that condition public attitudes towards immigration. In relation to the first, there is a common positive view that channelling migration towards regional areas assists regional development and reduces pressure on metropolitan areas. The paper reviews regional concepts embodied in Australian immigration policy and the ways in which visa arrangements have implemented policies geared towards the regional dispersal of immigrants. Using official data, it discusses the demographic impacts of these policies and, in particular, considers the extent to which immigrants to regional Australia remain there over the longer term. In relation to unemployment, a common concern is that immigrants take jobs from local workers. The paper examines—using statistical regression methodology—the relationship between immigration and national aggregate unemployment in Australia. It evaluates the net consequences of immigration for both existing residents and new arrivals together. The paper concludes that, with good policy design in each case, regional location encouragement can be effective for immigrants and that immigrants need not take more jobs than they create. The analysis demonstrates that mixed-methods approaches to important social science issues can be productive, and helpful also for policy. Evidence, such as that presented in this paper, offers a powerful basis from which to counter negative public and political discourses surrounding immigration in contemporary Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Despite the spate of urbanisation fuelled among other factors by rural-urban migration across the African region, majority of people continue to reside in rural communities with greater burden of poverty and livelihood vulnerabilities. Ghana's case has not been different. However, in response to the high incidence of rural poverty, the seasonal nature of agricultural livelihoods and the attendant increase of unemployed youth engaged in rural-urban drift, successive governments of Ghana introduced and supported the Rural Enterprise Programme (REP) to promote livelihood diversification and restructuring of the rural economy. The REP phases I (1995-2002) and II (2003-2011) sought to contribute to the development of competitive rural medium and small-scale enterprises (MSEs) in beneficiary districts backed by good quality, relevant, sustainable and market-driven business development support services. For almost two decades of implementation, the REP has run on policy assumption that, focusing on direct agricultural activities alone cannot produce substantial rural poverty reduction and support the actualisation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in rural Ghana. However, performance of the REP on its assumption requires verification. Following mixed research techniques, this paper uses the experiences of selected beneficiary communities from the Ajumako- Enyan-Essiam District to examine how the alternative livelihood development interventions of the REP have impacted rural livelihoods and poverty. The extent to which rural enterprise development interventions have engendered livelihood diversification and affected the asset-base of rural households, and how the interventions have produced positive livelihood outcomes and poverty reduction in the intervention area studied are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public opinion has moved towards a more restrictive approach to immigration since 2008, particularly in countries more strongly affected by economic recession. This is generally assumed to be a consequence of economic threat due to greater competition for scarce material resources, such as employment, leading to anti-immigration sentiment. However, not all individuals are affected equally by job losses, nor by the presence of migrants. Using data from the European Social Survey (2008–2016), in conjunction with the Labour Force Survey (2007–2016), this paper examines if individuals within occupations and sectors which face economic decline as measured by job losses, and which have a greater representation of migrants, are more likely to express anti-immigration sentiment. In line with the threat hypothesis the study finds that positive job growth is associated with pro-immigration sentiment while a greater share of migrants within occupations and sectors is linked to greater opposition towards immigration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most studies regarding the contribution of migration to development are limited to an isolated analysis of the economic effects of migration. But the migration process is in turn influenced by other processes. So a wider framework including migration and other processes of development would be more appropriate. The experience of South European and East Asian countries have shown us that, during development, countries can change their migration profile from emigration to immigration. The present paper shows the stages of the migration transition experienced by these countries trying to match them with Romania's experience. So, focusing on the case of Romania, this paper examines the evolution of international migration starting with 1990, in the context of the broader transition process, offering prospects regarding a possible migration transition in this case as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses migration of the skilled from Albania in the post-1990 period. It first highlights the scale of skilled migration and then examines the channels through which the phenomenon might have affected Albania's development. In recent years the issue of skilled migration and its impact has attracted the attention of both the Albanian government and civil society. The message delivered through this paper is, however, that while the country has possibly experienced substantial outflows of human capital, the impact the phenomenon has had on Albania's development is unknown. The paucity of data and research imposes severe limitations, preventing at the same time policy-makers from having the relevant information required for developing policies to manage skill losses and capacity-building in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the emigration flows from Croatia and other new EU member states to the core EU countries after their EU accession. In order to assess the magnitude and dynamics of the recent emigration wave properly, we construct the series of indirect emigration flows, resorting to the national statistical offices of the selected core EU destination countries. We compare the Croatian experience with that of other NMS and show that the intensity of Croatia's emigration flows after EU accession is proportional to that of the Romanian and Bulgarian cases. Finally, we empirically analyze the economic and non-economic drivers of emigration from NMS to the core EU in the 2000-2016 period. Results show that both economic (measured by different GDP and labour market indicators) and noneconomic factors (capturing the EU accession, the level of corruption in the economy and demographic characteristics of the origin country population) are relevant for emigration decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an introduction to the special issue and is in five parts. The first part provides a brief overview of post-1990 migration from Albania as a route out of poverty and a quest for freedom and self-realization for Albanians. The Kosovan migration has a different history: labour migration in the 1960s and early 1970s, refugee flight in the 1990s. Then the authors outline a theoretical framework for migration's contribution to development. Third, this framework is applied to the cases of Albania and Kosova, drawing on findings from the papers in this issue and other literature. The fourth section of the paper revisits the migration-development nexus from a policy perspective, examining in turn remittances, return migration and host- and home-country government responsibilities. Finally, we speculate on the global economic crisis that started in mid-2008 and its impact on the region and its migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A transnational perspective is used in the analysis of the lives of Ghanaian migrants based in the Netherlands to answer two questions: how do migrants contribute to their home country, and do they also participate in the economy where they reside? An analysis of spending patterns of migrants both in the Netherlands and in Ghana shows that migrants are doubly engaged. In Ghana they invest in housing, business and education, contributing to the daily expenses of people back home and investing in their and their extended family's reputation by donating generously at funerals. At the same time they participate in the Dutch economy at the neighbourhood, city and national level. They devise various strategies for juggling their objectives between these two countries. However, Ghanaian migrants’ contribution to both countries is hampered by the high costs of identity documents both in the formal and informal economy. The paper thus links Dutch migration policies with the consequences for the lives of people back in Ghana. As such, it demonstrates the relationship between two areas that are usually kept separate in both academic and policy discourses: development in the Third World and the integration of migrants in industrialised countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Diasporas participate in the home country’s development through remittances, philanthropy, knowledge transfer, investment, and political engagement. Based on the theoretical perspective of network governance, this paper argues that governments can enhance diaspora contributions by offering incentives to engage with the homeland. The paper then applies this perspective to assess the effectiveness of Lithuania’s diaspora engagement policy. Based on successful strategies adopted by other countries, the paper makes recommendations on how to strengthen the incentives for the diaspora to participate in Lithuania’s political, social, economic, and cultural life, and on how to create a better environment for the diaspora’s contributions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The growing trend of the emigration abroad from the Republic of Macedonia is confirmed by different data sources. The total number of Macedonian citizens all over the world amounts approximately 630 thousands persons (2013) and the emigration rate reached around 30%. The aim of the analyses in this paper is to identify the demographic consequences of the intensified emigration abroad in the last two decades due to the manifested changes of migration contingent features. It is observed on the example of three receiving countries (Germany, Italy and Switzerland), which share in the total number of Macedonian citizens all over the world amounts more than one quarter. Considering the very high emigration rate, large permanent emigration and significant changes in the migration contingent structure, the analyses in the paper show that Macedonia is facing serious demographic consequences with long-term implications. Emigration abroad has significant consequences on the total population growth in the country, natural population increase and the process of population ageing. In order to identify the determinants of the natural population increase of the migration contingent, the CCR-LM model is applied for the period 2008-2014. The results are showing that the share of Macedonian live births in Germany, Italy and Switzerland in the total number of live births in the country, is mostly correlated with the increase of the share of total Macedonian migrants in these countries in the total population of the country, as well as with the share of Macedonian women in Germany, Switzerland and Italy in the total women population in Macedonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented which discusses various papers within the issue on topics related to aspects of migrants economies in European and Asian cities, migrant entrepreneurship and role of migrants in urban change.

This paper explores how long-term refugees pursue livelihoods, the impact this pursuit has on the human security of conflict-affected communities, and the ways in which international assistance can help. Refugees' pursuit of livelihoods can increase human security because economic activities help to recreate social and economic interdependence within and between communities, and can restore social networks based on the exchange of labour, assets and food. When refugees are allowed to gain access to resources and freedom of movement, and can work alongside their hosts to pursue productive lives, they would be less dependent on aid and better able to overcome the sources of tension and conflict in their host communities. The paper identifies how humanitarian programmes working with national governments can increase economic security and shore up the respective rights of both refugees and their host communities. Today, relief interventions are no longer expected solely to save lives in the short term, but also to lay the foundation for future development and to promote conflict resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relationship between global inequality and dual citizenship by analysing citizenship acquisition from abroad in the European Union (EU). Most EU countries now offer facilitated naturalisation to descendants of emigrants and co-ethnics abroad, which requires neither residence nor renunciation of former citizenship. Since the 1990s, over 3.5 million people have used this opening to obtain dual citizenship from a European country to which they often have little if any connection. I analyse this phenomenon using a data-set that I constructed from previously unanalysed administrative statistics. The data were used to test an original theory that explains patterns of demand for dual citizenship in the context of a global hierarchy of citizenship worth. The analysis demonstrated that demand was much higher in Latin America and Eastern Europe than in North America and Western Europe. Non-Western applicants were drawn to the practical benefits of EU citizenship, and their level of demand varied in response to economic conditions like unemployment. In contrast, Western applicants displayed lower demand for citizenship and were unresponsive to economic incentives. The paper contributes to the literature by demonstrating the relationship between citizenship and global stratification as well as highlighting a widespread instrumental approach to dual citizenship. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various topics within the issue including sustainable economic development in Malaysia, impacts of factors like geographic proximity on migration, and the relationship between environmental degradation, consumption and energy.

The main aim of this paper is to analyse the motives affecting the migration decisions of young people, particularly university students. Two scales were developed for measuring the perception of the importance of these motives. The data used in the research were collected via a survey of the opinions and attitudes of university students in Osijek, in June 2010. The paper also analyses psychometric properties of the scales - their dimensionality and reliability. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis undoubtedly indicate that both scales are multidimensional constructs. A combination of the results of t-tests for an independent sample, factor analysis (exploratory and confirmatory) and reliability analysis suggest that emigration and stay motives are two sides of the same migration decision, and that they can be classified into several factors: the economic situation, social networks, insider advantages (that can be divided into inherited amenities and public-safety conditions) and the wealth of opportunities. Depending on the power of the initial and target destination, the factors can function as 'push' or 'pull' factors. The results of the study show social networks as being the only 'pull' factor for the city of Osijek, whereas the other factors, especially the economic ones, proved to demonstrate the 'push' effect. However, the effects of all factors were very mild. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses whether international migrants contribute to increasing technological advances in developing countries by inducing a transfer of productive knowledge from developed countries back to migrants’ home countries. Using the Economic Complexity Index as a proxy for the amount of productive knowledge embedded in each countries and bilateral migrant stocks of 20 OECD destination countries, we show that international migration is a strong channel of technological transmission. Diasporas foster the local adoption of new technologies by connecting high technology countries with low ones, reducing the uncertainty surrounding their profitability. Our empirical results support the hypothesis that technological transfers are more likely to occur out of more technologically advanced destinations and when emigration rates are particularly high. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It is often maintained that contemporary foreign labour recruitment programs have taken an increasingly selective stance and that skills are increasingly crucial in granting migrants easier access and stronger welfare and residency rights in receiving countries. The paper provides a retrospective account of the evolution of Italian labour migration management, paying attention to the changing selection criteria reflected in some of its “front, back and side doors”. It will be shown that Italian labour migration management is increasingly embracing a bifurcated regime of deservingness. Despite some recent tentative signs of change towards an increased evaluation of high skills as a selection principle embedded into a competitiveness‐driven frame, over the last decades labour migration management has been largely dominated by the recruitment of a low‐skilled workforce. The paper discusses the emergence of a specific construction migrants’ deservingness placing Italy in a peculiar position in a European context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immigration policy is one of the most hotly contested political issues in the United States. In this paper, we evaluate the role of immigration in the U.S. economy. We pose the counterfactual question, “what would happen if net migration to the U.S. were to cease?” Using the REMI PI+ macroeconomic policy analysis model, we set to zero international immigration from 2018 to 2060, and estimate the national- and state-level economic and demographic implications of this change. Our estimates show that, in the absence of immigration, total U.S. employment would peak in 2019, and the U.S. GDP and labor force would decline by 20% through 2060. Per capita income and GDP effects, however, are relatively minor and sensitive to assumptions in labor and capital markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to build and analyse a model of unemployment, where jobs search is open to both natives and migrant workers. Markets and government intervention respond jointly to unemployment when creating new jobs. Full employment of resources is the focal point of policy action, stimulating vacancy creation. We acknowledge that policy is implemented with delays, and capture labour market outcomes by building a non-linear dynamic system. We observe jobs separation and matching, and extend our model to an open economy with migration and delayed policy intervention meant to reduce unemployment. We analyse the stability behaviour of the resulting equilibrium for our dynamic system, including models with Dirac and weak kernels. We simulate our model with alternative scenarios, where policy action towards jobs creation considers both migration and unemployment, or just unemployment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the potential impact of education levels of immigrants and Canadian-born on economic growth in Canada and its smaller provinces by using data for the period 2006–2013. We specify a production function in which levels of educational attainments of immigrants and Canadian-born workers are entered separately. Feasible generalized least square (FGLS) method is applied to estimate the production function separately for all immigrants, and also for established immigrants (those who have been in Canada for 10 years or longer). The results show that all educational levels of immigrants have positive and statistically significant effects on economic growth. A similar conclusion applies to Canadian-born workers, although the impacts of their university degree holders is lower than that of immigrant university degree holders. Both immigrant and Canadian-born workers have smaller effects on economic growth in smaller provinces, which have attracted larger numbers of immigrants in recent years. The results also show that the economic growth effects are similar for all and established immigrants. Although these results are consistent with previous findings on discounting of immigrants’ educational credentials, more data are needed to strengthen their validity. We also suggest that the higher economic growth impact of immigrant university degree holders than that of Canadian-born is indicative of greater social returns to higher education resulting from increased diversity of population which in turn, as some previous studies suggest, can result in increased technological innovation, new ideas, and production of a wide variety of goods and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Low rates of internal migration in many European countries contribute to the persistence of significant regional labor market differences. I use the Mikrozensus, a large annual sample of households living in Germany, to further our understanding of the underlying reasons. This paper makes two main contributions: first, the paper quantifies the disutility of migrating. To this end, I estimate conditional logit models of the migration decision across the German federal states. Second, I then focus on the differences between immigrants and natives. I find significantly higher responsiveness to labor market differentials in the immigrant population than in the native population. Unobserved moving costs for immigrants are estimated to be only about 31 percent of this same cost for natives. The findings bear on the assessment of the economic impact of immigration, and the paper contributes to the current immigration-related policy debates that feature prominently in many European countries, and that likely will continue to be important in light of the ongoing EU expansion and the resulting east-west migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Dynamic changes in the world bring challenges for making long-term future-oriented policy and strategy. A number of recent developments like drops in oil prices, increasing global conflicts, mass immigration and economic stagnation have had disruptive effects on long-term policies and strategies. The purpose of this paper is to provide a dynamic and adaptive Foresight approach as required by the fast-changing global landscape.Design/methodology/approach The scenario approach presented in the paper aims to develop multiple time horizons by bringing together short-term forecasts and long-term exploratory and visionary scenarios. Each time horizon allows for re-considering and dynamically changing drivers and assumptions of scenarios and thus builds not a single linear, but multiple and dynamic pathways into the future. Following the presentation on the background and description of the methodology, the paper illustrates the proposed approach with a case study on science and technology (S&T) development in Russia.Findings The flexible scenario approach allows developing and strategies with similar adaptability and flexibility.Practical implications The scenario approach presented in the paper may be applicable for Foresight exercises at all levels of governance, including national, international, regional and corporate.Originality/value A novel scenario approach is presented for the formulation of S&T policy with an illustrative case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines a central idea in migration theory--that the poorest of the poor are generally less likely to migrate internationally than those with greater resources. Research supporting this claim is largely based on South-North movements, thus raising the question of whether such patterns apply to cross-border movements within the Global South. This paper extends our understanding of migration selection by examining the relationship between poverty, relative wealth, and migration within two South-South corridors: Cambodia-Thailand, where most migration is undocumented; and Cambodia-Malaysia, where movement largely occurs through official recruitment channels. Drawing on nationally representative data from the Cambodia Socio-Economic Surveys (2009, 2010, 2011) it finds that migration to Thailand is highly 'pro-poor' in terms of its selection while migration to Malaysia is markedly not. This finding can be read as suggesting the existence of a trade-off between highly regulated and 'pro-poor' migrant selection. Where worker-borne costs of migration are high and migration processes formalized, the poor are less likely to participate in cross-border movement. Thus increased moves to manage/regulate migration may unwittingly constrain mobility options for the poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discussions of immigration policy are typically framed in the context of their economic effects in receiving countries, notably labour market and fiscal effects. In this paper, we characterize immigration policy in a richer model where migrants are also a source of cultural externalities stemming from either preferences or the functioning of formal and informal institutions in receiving countries. While in terms of pure economic effects, immigrants do not generally have any more incentives than low-skilled natives to allow for more immigration in the future, this is not the case when accounting for cultural externalities. Therefore, insofar as past immigrants have a voice in affecting future policies, a time-consistent immigration policy entails back-loading; as natives attempt at limiting voice of immigrants in the future, the economic effects of immigration flows as well as the cultural externality they introduce. Furthermore, natives exploit any pre-commitment device to limit immigration flows, e.g. building ''walls'', limiting immigrants' political rights, or accumulating fiscal surpluses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional migration modelling involves an estimation of a migration model, using population at origin, population at destination, distance and other social, economic and environmental variables to explain migration flows. Modelling performance is assessed for the migration model as a whole. However, it remains unclear if a migration model can fit the relative emissiveness and attractiveness of specific regions better than the spatial interaction effect between pairs of regions. Recent studies show that the parameters of the log-linear model for a migration matrix can fully describe the relative emissiveness Pi, attractiveness Qj of specific regions and the spatial interaction effect between pairs of regions Fij. By calculating and comparing the contributions of the modelling errors of the relative emissiveness Pi, attractiveness Qj and the spatial interaction effect Fij to the overall modelling errors of migration flows, this paper reveals which factors of the migration process can be modelled more or less accurately using the case of regional migration in China for the period 2005-2010. According to the Poisson migration model for China, the modelling errors of the constant K, the relative attractiveness and emissiveness caused mean relative errors of 4.92%, 11.80% and 10.61% in migration flows, respectively. The spatial interaction caused a mean relative error of 17.74% in migration flows, which was much greater than the errors caused by the constant K, the relative attractiveness and emissiveness. Thus, the spatial interaction is the most important factor, which cannot be modelled very well in migration modelling. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism embodies flows of tourists, capital and information, as well as migration, including migrants who operate businesses. How do migrant entrepreneurs negotiate social ties and economic activities in their destinations? To answer this question, the paper draws on Polanyi’s work on embeddedness to explore migrant tourism entrepreneurs (MTEs) and their modes of integration in the practice of social and economic life. We argue that MTEs are situated in a complex matrix in which they must build economic connections with locals and government officials, yet maintain a respectful distance with local groups, and develop embedded ties with other fellow migrants and tourists. Embeddedness, juxtaposed with distance, indicates that in tourist destinations, mixed patterns of economic and social relations significantly influence MTEs’ social and economic life. A Polanyian perspective on embeddedness can provide useful theoretical tenets to understand entrepreneurial activities in a mobile world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

European Union (EU) enlargements in 2004 and 2007 were accompanied by increased migration from new-accession to established-member (EU-15) countries. The impacts of these flows depend, in part, on the amount of time that persons from the former countries live in the latter over the life course. In this paper, we develop period estimates of duration expectancy in EU-15 countries among persons from new-accession countries. Using a newly developed set of harmonized Bayesian estimates of migration flows each year from 2002 to 2008 from the Integrated Modelling of European Migration Project, we exploit period age patterns of country-to-country migration and mortality to summarize the average number of years that persons from new-accession countries could be expected to live in EU-15 countries over the life course. In general, the results show that the amount of time that persons from new-accession countries could be expected to live in the EU-15 nearly doubled after 2004. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]