Plain-language explanation.
International migration — the movement of people across borders — is one of the defining features of globalisation. There are over 280 million international migrants and over 100 million forcibly displaced people worldwide. Migration generates economic benefits (remittances, skills transfer, host country labour) but also political tensions over identity, integration, and border control. Understanding migration requires balancing economic analysis with legal frameworks and sociological insights.
Core concepts and standard treatment.
Migration theory: neoclassical economics (migrants respond to wage differentials — Harris-Todaro model); new economics of labour migration (household diversification strategy, not just individual decision); segmented labour market theory (Piore — primary sector/native workers, secondary sector/migrants — migrants fill jobs natives reject); world systems theory (global capitalism creates migration flows from periphery to core); and network theory (established migrants reduce costs and risks for subsequent migrants — chain migration, cumulative causation). Migration categories: economic (labour migration — skilled, low-skilled, seasonal), family reunification, refugees and asylum seekers (1951 Convention), and environmental/climate-induced displacement (not yet covered by international law).
Deeper theory, debates and edge cases.
Global migration governance: the absence of a comprehensive international migration regime (unlike trade with WTO, or refugees with UNHCR); the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM — 2018, non-binding); IOM (International Organisation for Migration — 2016 became UN-related organisation but outside UN system); bilateral labour agreements; and the SDGs (Goal 10.7 on orderly, safe, regular migration). Remittances: $831 billion to low and middle-income countries in 2022 (World Bank) — exceeding FDI and ODA to many countries; importance for Pakistan, Philippines, Mexico, Egypt, India; and the high cost of remittance corridors (G20 5% target).
How it is applied in practice.
Contemporary migration politics: the "migration crisis" discourse — European refugee crisis 2015-16 (1 million+ arrivals; political backlash; EU-Turkey deal; Dublin Regulation reform failures); US-Mexico border (DACA, Title 42, family separation policy); and the Mediterranean (deaths en route, Frontex, pushbacks debate). Integration and social cohesion: multiculturalism vs. assimilation debates; second-generation outcomes and the "integration paradox"; Islamophobia and anti-immigrant populism; and civic vs. ethnic models of citizenship. Diaspora politics: dual citizenship, diaspora engagement in home country politics (remittances as leverage, lobbying host country foreign policy — US-Israel-Palestine, UK-India, Turkish diaspora in Germany); and transnational identities challenging the state-centric model of citizenship. Climate migration: estimates of 200 million+ climate migrants by 2050 (World Bank); IDP vs. international migration; the international protection gap; and the speculative nature of projections — migration is mediated by many factors beyond climate.