VN broadens understanding of migration issues

This is perhaps no great surprise, as the discipline has traditionally focused on questions of stability and war in the international system.

migration is itself a function of the international system of states. Without states, there are no borders to cross and it is the crossing of borders that remains at the heart of the politics of migration

Theories of migration traditionally rely upon discussions of “push” factors (what causes individuals to emigrate) and “pull” factors (what might cause individuals to immigrate).

Although they are often rooted in domestic considerations, and analyzed on the individual level, scholars are beginning to focus on global processes and patterns, the ways the state might impact international migration, and how we can develop comprehensive and sophisticated theories of international migration that go beyond individual rational choice.

Migration studies in IR remains roughly categorized according to the traditional legal division: forced versus voluntary migration.

This complex picture of modern human migration is a result of improved transportation and communication, increasing social inequality, a changing climate, a growing world economy, and greater ease of movement across the globe.

Rapid dissemination of information, updating far-off communities on the opportunities of a different community, has fueled population movement further.

Migrants have begun working in industries and communities that until recently did not largely rely on migrant workers

The new migrants often do not have experience in the field where they have found work; the employers in these communities are often not equipped to communicate the health risks associated with the work they are offering, in a linguistically and culturally appropriate way.

The changes and increases in migration patterns, the arrival of migrants into new communities, and the participation in new and often dangerous forms of employment have therefore strong effects on the health, health risks, and health management of mobile populations.

Worldwide, migration has increased.

The overall figures do not adequately present the complexity of the picture, however.

the makeup of immigrants continues to shift

When immigrants cross state lines, they encounter new barriers: different requirements in each state for health care access, varying rules and regulations on safety and health, a different local perspective on the role of immigrants, and more.

These additional barriers may be magnified by language and cultural differences, and fears due to documentation status.

Policy debate over immigration has intensified amidst growing global refugee crises and a wave of nationalist electoral victories.

The effects of immigration are highly contingent on where, when, how, and who.

the world’s wealth of experience in regulating migration can still be a useful resource for setting better policy.

This is the key to understanding the mixed research findings on “the” impacts of immigration.

The need for policies that facilitate positive outcomes from migration is only going to grow: over the next few decades, migration flows will likely increase substantially.