1.a. Inter-regional migration

Question 1

What is Inter-regional migration?

Answer 1

Migrants moving between regions (e.g. Africa to Europe)

Question 2

What is Lee’s Migration Model?

Answer 2

• Lee’s Migration Model argues that the decision to migrate is based on a balance of positive and negative push and pull factors.
• If the balance of push and pull factors is sufficiently positive to justify the cost of overcoming any intervening obstacles then individuals may choose to migrate.

Question 3

What are intervening obstacles?

Answer 3

Things that make it more difficult to migrate
- Human obstacles e.g. travel costs, cultural factors/language
- Physical obstacles e.g. mountain ranges, distance to travel, lakes

Question 4

What is the Neoclassical Economic Theory?

Answer 4

States that the most significant push/pull factors are wage differences. Therefore migration tends to flow from low-wage areas to high-wage areas.

Question 5

What is the Dual Labour Market Theory?

Answer 5

States that migration is mainly caused by pull factors in more developed countries. Migrant workers are needed to fill the lowest valued jobs because the native population does not wish to do this work.

Question 6

What is The New Economics of Labour Migration Theory?

Answer 6

Suggests that migration patterns are not solely influenced by individual workers or incentivising factors, but also by remittances.

Question 7

What is the Relative Deprivation Theory?

Answer 7

• Suggests income disparity among neighbours influences migration, with successful migrants providing better education and homes, and high-skilled emigrants serving as models for future migrants.
• People see others migrating to countries and being successful which makes them want to do the same

Question 8

What is the World Systems Theory?

Answer 8

• Examines global migration, arguing that trade can lead to economic decline in one country, encouraging migration to a more developed one. However, some argue free trade can reduce migration.
• Trade imbalances between richer and poorer countries can encourage migration

Question 9

What are the specific push factors that encourage people to make the crossing to Europe?
(Case Study: Migration into Europe from the Middle East and North Africa)

Answer 9

Political instability and economic factors - People are fleeing their countries due to economic chaos, war and human rights abuses.
E.g. People escaping conflict and civil breakdown in Libya and Syria.
Conflict between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority together with political upheaval in Tunisia and Egypt are displacing significant numbers of people.
Somali Civil War
Egyptian Revolution

Question 10

What are the intervening obstacles for crossing to Europe?
(Case Study: Migration into Europe from the Middle East and North Africa)

Answer 10

• EU border controls and
  EU counter smuggling operations:
  The EU enforces strict border controls across its 28 member states to manage immigration.
  Operational measures EU State law enforcement and agencies aim to disrupt criminal groups facilitating irregular immigration. Intelligence on smuggling routes and tactics is collected.
  The EU focuses on preventing smuggling by collecting intelligence on routes used by smugglers, recognising weaknesses and enhancing cooperation with origin and transit countries.
  E.g. In 2002, the EU adopted a legal framework on smuggling, the EU supported the Italian Government scheme, “Operation Mare Nostrum”, a military and humanitarian operation aiming to rescue the migrants and arrest the traffickers of immigrants in the Mediterranean until the end of 2014.
• Asylum applications
  Each applicant’s fingerprints are taken and sent to a database called EURODAC. The country where the migrant applies for asylum is responsible for the asylum application.
  An asylum applicant is interviewed by a case worker trained in EU law, with the help of an interpreter, to determine whether they may qualify for refugee status. If the claim is successful then refugee status is granted, which gives the person certain rights, such as access to a residence permit, the labour market and healthcare.
  E.g. Estonia had 155 asylum applications last year, whereas Germany had more than 200,000. (There were 626,000 asylum applications in the EU in 2014, which was 200,000 more than 2013).
• Physical barriers
  The physical barriers of the Mediterranean Sea and The Rhodope and Stara Planina mountains of Greece and Bulgaria present dangerous migration routes. However, migrants rely on criminal
  networks of smugglers to enter the EU clandestinely via land, air and sea routes.
  E.g. For example, 700 migrants were reported lost at sea in one shipwreck on 18 April alone.

Question 11

What are the specific pull factors that encourage people to make the crossing to Europe?
(Case Study: Migration into Europe from the Middle East and North Africa)

Answer 11

Improved standard of living and established diaspora communities - Successful migrants can clearly hope to gain better employment opportunities or an improved financial position. Moreover, there are large established migrant community diasporas from the source countries in the host countries that send significant remittances home.
E.g. According to a World Bank Study in 2010 Ethiopia received US$387m in remittances. The same study showed that Sudan received remittances equal to 6% of its GDP in the same year.