ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY
LECTURE FOUR

A. MIGRATION:

This subject is one of the purely geographical topics which we will discuss. Migration, one form of diffusion, links together all the locations which we have discussed. Businesses are currently migrating from advanced countries to less developed countries to take advantage of cheap, unskilled labor costs, and skilled labor from less developed countries are being pulled to advanced countries for jobs in high tech industries.

What impact will these movements have upon these countries and the global economy?

Geographers discuss the causes for migration according to push-pull factors. This is a simple way to focus upon the most significant factors stimulating migration in each circumstance, and will allow us to also identify possible ways to reduce this migration if we see such a need.

1. PUSH-PULL FACTORS - All migrations, whether they occur on the local, national or international scale, occur due to a combination of push and pull factors. Each migrant weighs these factors to determine whether they leave their homeland and migrate to an entirely new region, or they stay home and address possible problems within their society.

a. PUSH FACTORS: these are problems such as war, famine, disease, and perhaps natural hazard that forces individuals to leave their home. These factors do not often affect Americans, even after earthquakes, tornadoes and hurricanes (which we have experienced numerously in the last few years), most Americans do not see these factors as a stimulus to move. Perhaps due to our level of technology, we trust that we can reduce such pushes or that they will not happen again during our lifetimes.

If the migration is dominated by PUSH factors, we consider this FORCED MIGRATION, and we call these immigrants, refugees   (see the United Nations).

b. PULL FACTORS: are characteristics of another location which stimulate your movement. Often these are dominated by perceptions rather than realistic information gathering. Perhaps the internet will change this. Possible pulls would be: higher incomes, better medical care, better education, family, political stability, etc. If the migration is dominated by PULL factors, we consider this VOLUNTARY MIGRATION.

Together, each migrant determines which factors are most important to him/her. The migration may be local, so that the individual can return home if he/she had false perceptions. And even international migrations to the United States reflect a high degree of return migration (back to the country of origin) with statistics for most migrants hovering around 40% return migration. The only ethnic group to not have such a high return migration to the U.S. were the Irish following the Potato Famine, only 10% returned home. This is typical with forced migration. As you will see from examples in the text, guest workers may end up being long-term immigrants, yet most begin with the intention of returning home when such opportunities arise.

2. BRAIN DRAIN: When you begin to examine the social and economic indicators between advanced and less developed countries, you can appreciate the impact such a migration can have upon the migrant. By moving to the first world these individuals (who are usually the best and brightest from their country of origin) can gain higher levels of education, longer life expectancy, better medical care, access to contraception, lower infant mortality rates, higher incomes, diverse consumption, and many other benefits related to living in an industrialized society. Yet, if these individuals returned to their country of origin after obtaining a specialized degree, how might this stimulate the development of their own society?

3. IMMIGRATION POLICIES

Many policies attempt to stimulate or retard this brain drain. The European Union's policy on the free movement of labor across the national boundaries of member states stimulates the movement of unskilled labor from poorer societies in the EU, such as Spain and Portugal to more advanced countries, and at the same time, such policies allow corporations from wealthy societies in the EU (Germany and the U.K.) to relocate to Spain, Portugal and others in search of inexpensive labor. This can also be demonstrated in the U.S.- Mexican border with Maquiladoras, establishing the precedent for the NAFTA treaty.

Many European countries, faced with high unemployment after WW2, have established policies designed to protect the jobs of their inhabitants by limiting the movement of jobs to less developed societies (Sweden, Germany). Also, most Western European societies have very tight policies regarding the importation of skilled labor into white collar jobs.

Americans have very little regulation regarding corporate movement of jobs and skilled labor immigration. Yet, many politicians, such as Pat Buchanan, see this as an element of American policy which must change to preserve the opportunities for American-born employees.

Geographers argue that policies designed to reduce migration (forced or voluntary) can be created easily by addressing the causal push-pull factors which stimulate these migrations. NAFTA is such an example, much of the aid, jobs sent to Mexico are designed to improve the livelihoods of Mexicans and stop their migration to the United States.