International Migration and Development

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International Migration and Development

• Tasneem SiddiquiProfessor, Department of
  Political Science, andChair, Refugee and
  Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU),
  University of Dhaka.

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Basic understanding

• Migration is as old as human history.
• It is also an integral part of the current
• global economy.
• The 21st century has been termed as
• The age of migration.
• Reasons operational both at sending
• and receiving end, made migration
• an extremely complex phenomenon.

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Aim of this session

• To collectively reflect on whether
• migration indicates a failure of
• development
• or
• Is it an integral part of the global
• development process?

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Our analysis will be based on

• History of nation states
• Experiences of recent growth economics.
• Current scientific advancement in
• developed countries.
• Migrant entrepreneurs.
• The impact of remittance in the
• economies of sending states.
• Poverty reduction.
• The impact on individuals, families and
• communities.
• Concepts of Diaspora and development.

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Migration and Development

• Development as freedom of choice
• of individuals.
• Development as balanced and
• sustainable economic growth with
• distribution, social advancement
• and effective governance.

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Defining International Migration

• Movement of people from one country to
• another in search of a better life,
• livelihood or to avoid threat to life or
• livelihood.
• Types of Migration
• Internal/International, Voluntary/ Forced,
• Seasonal/Permanent/Temporary,
• Regular/Irregular
• Global migrant population in 2000 estimated at
  175 million people or 3 of the global population

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Link with development

• At receiving ends
• In the past, great civilizations were created
  through
• movements of people
• Industrial growth of Europe owes heavily on the
• primary accumulation of wealth through
  migration
• and colonization
• Creation of US and also Australia as nation
  states are
• through migration
• Growth and development in the Middle East since
  the
• oil price hike in the 1970s
• Dependence of South East Asian countries on
  immigrant labour for continued economic growth

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Currently

• Scientific and technological advancement in
• developed countries depend on migration of
• highly skilled workers.

• Original contribution in the field of research

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Immigrant entrepreneurs

• Japanese In control of Farming, Wholesaling
• and retailing in some major cities of US.
• Chinese Restaurant, laundry and garments sub
• contracting.
• Lebanese Kebab stores, Baklava snacks.
• Indian Food chains, Fabric, oriental classical
• music.
• Pakistanis Construction and Demolition firms in
  
• Australia.
• Bangladeshis Catering industry in the UK,
• plumbing, home repairing in New York.

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Link with development

• At the sending ends
• Global Flow of workers RemittancesYear In US
  1970 2 billion1995 70 billion2000 100
  billion
• 2004 182 billion (126 b W. Remittance)
• A large portion of remittance is transferred
  through informal channels at least another 40
• Remittance is also transferred in kind this adds
  another 9 to 12
• Therefore total annual remittance flow may be
  another 50 higher.

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Workers remittances to developing countries

• In 2004 US 125.8 billion

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Workers remittances to developing countries
Dilip Ratha 2004
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Sources of remittances
Dilip Ratha 2004
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Importance of remittances

• The remittances received officially are much
  more than
• official development assistance
• They constitute a much higher share of the
• total international capital flow to low-income
  
• countries
• In comparison to foreign direct investment to
• those countries, amounts of remittances are
• over half of total flow
• Remittances as sources of financial flows are
• found to be more stable than private capital
• flows
• They are less volatile to changing economic
• cycles
• They are unilateral transfers and do not create
  liabilities
• Most stable source of foreign income
• No systems loss directly reach the intended
  recipient

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Poverty reduction

• A study on 74 low and middle income
• developing countries
• It found statistically significant correlation
• between remittances and a decline in poverty
• 10 increase in the share of a country's GDP
• can lead to a 1.2 decline in poverty
• 10 increase of migrants flow from the sending
• country will lead to a 1.8 decline in the
  share
• of people living on less than 1 dollar a day.

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Impact

• Impact at individual, family and community
• level
• Enhance economic security and well being
• Food, shelter, improved health care, education
• and housing
• Increase savings and income for investment
• Migrants investment in rural infrastructure such
  
• as roads, construction of schools and training
  
• centres.

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Diaspora and development

• Brain drain / Brain gain / Brain circulation
• Important role in nationalist movements
• Chinese 70 million, 70 of FDI by its Diaspora
• Italian 60 million, major senders of
  remittances,
• transfer of skills and knowledge
• Greek 6.7 million, 3500 diaspora organisations
• Lebanese 14 million, annual remittances of
  6.2 b
• Indian 20 million, influence in public policy
  of
• receiving countries
• (Singhvi, 2001 Siddiqui, 2004)

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Negative Impact

• Remittance transfers
• 40 through hundi, 46 through formal, 5
  through friends and relations, 8 hand carried 1
  others
• Used in
• Smuggling industry, gold, arms, drugs
• Import substitution gain from tax regime
• Recruiting agents for payment of visa
• Human rights of the Migrants
• Strict visa control regime and growth of
• irregular migration
• Migration as a threat to security of receiving
• countries.

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Governance of Migration

• In national instruments
• In regional instruments
• Bilateral and multinational
• instruments