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Moving Out of Poverty - Making Migration Work Better for Poor People

Author: Department for International Development
Date: 2007
Size: 53 pages (346 KB)

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Summary

How can policymakers and development agencies maximise the opportunities and minimise the risks associated with rising levels of national and international migration? This paper from the UK Department for International Development analyses the impact of voluntary economic migration on poverty reduction and development goals. Migration carries risks both for migrants and for the countries sending and receiving them. However, the benefits of migration can be maximised by improving planning for internal mobility, encouraging legal migration, promoting low-cost methods for sending remittances, and supporting diaspora activity.

The present phase of globalisation has seen unparalleled levels of migration. Among the 200 million international migrants worldwide, the most common form of inter-state movement for poor people is to a neighbouring or nearby country. However, migration within national borders still greatly exceeds inter-state resettlement. Current socio-economic conditions are creating new drivers for migration. Conflict and poverty leads some poor people to perceive that they have no option but to move. The workforce needs in richer countries and abundance of labour in poorer regions suggests that current migration trends will continue for the next ten or twenty years.

Migration has diverse and complex effects on poverty reduction, development and social change:

• It can both support and undermine the fulfillment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Emigration by better-off members of communities can reinforce existing inequalities in the country of origin, but subsequent movements by poorer people may reduce these disparities. Health levels, education standards and living conditions may initially suffer following migration, but subsequent improvements in income and social entitlements can improve these indicators.
• The sending home of remittances by migrants can help to reduce poverty and encourage growth. However, this process is hindered by weak financial infrastructures, inadequate payment systems and the inaccessibility of financial institutions.
• Migration can have important social ramifications. The growing demand for female labour has seen the ‘feminisation’ of migration, while migrant children may suffer the same discrimination experienced by their adult peers. However, the exclusion endured by migrants may be counteracted by their affiliation with trans-national social networks.
• Diaspora groups can support national development from abroad. Such associations are active in disaster relief, financial investment, political reform and the export of goods and ideas. Many governments recognise this by backing diaspora activities.

Migration can be beneficial to developing and developed countries if well-managed:

• Governments should encourage internal migration to regions of growth by improving housing, providing social protection and seeking to ease social tensions in these areas.
• Promoting legal migration through international trade agreements, bilateral agreements and the regulation of recruitment agencies can increase the benefits of migration for low-skilled people from developing countries.
• The interdependence of migration and development should be acknowledged by better integration of poverty reduction and migration strategies through legislative and institutional support for partner governments in these policy areas.
• Developing country governments should prioritise migration issues in their regional policy dialogue. Research networks should aim to inform decision-makers on these questions.
• Developed countries should recognise the advantages and drawbacks of migration for both sending and receiving countries: governments should aim for effective cooperation in reducing unmanaged movements of people while promoting mutually beneficial forms of migration.

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Source: Department for International Development, 2007, 'Moving Out of Poverty - Making Migration Work Better for Poor People', Policy Paper, DFID, London
Author: Department for International Development (DFID), http://www.dfid.gov.uk