Migration COPY Flashcards
Migration definition
A permanent or semi-permanent change in residence
What is an economic migrant?
Someone who moves voluntarily to find work
What is a refugee?
Someone who has had to leave their country and seeks protection in another
What is an asylum seeker?
A person who has applied for refugee status but it is not decided if they will be granted citizenship
What factors have caused increased migration?
- Transportation improvements
- Industrialisation
- Political freedom of movement (e.g. EU)
What are some common push factors?
- Natural disasters
- Mechanisation of farming reducing agricultural jobs
- Politics/war
What are some common pull factors?
- Economic (better jobs/pay)
- Better quality of life
- Family
What % of the world do not live in their birth country?
4%
What migration trend is particularly seen in developing countries?
Urbanisation
Why can limiting migration discourage TNC investment?
Often countries want to transfer staff easily
What is the UK’s net migration target?
100,000
Why is there high migration from South America to Europe?
Strong cultural ties
Why is there high migration from South Asia to the Middle East?
Migrants move to the Middle East for work, often in jobs like construction
Difference between voluntary and forced migration
Voluntary = made out of choice
Forced = a necessity due to circumstances
Examples of voluntary migration
- Mexico to US in search of jobs
- Millionaires moving to Monaco for good lifestyle and low tax
- British retirees moving to Spain
How many Rohingya people were forced to leave Myanmar to avoid persecution in 2018?
700,000
What are remittances?
When a worker moves abroad for work and sends a proportion of their wages back to their home country
How did remittances benefit Nepal?
Between 1995 and 2004:
- Remittances rose 9%
- Poverty decreased by 11%
Who developed the core-periphery economic model?
Friedman
What is the ‘core’ in the core-periphery economic model?
Countries which have a natural geographic advantage, such as a strategic trading route or being rich in natural resources, attract greater economic growth
What is the general argument of the core-periphery economic model?
Migration will go from the periphery to the core
How can it be argued that migration maximises economic output?
It is an efficient way to manage all the people in the world as they move to the most productive places (the core)
Why does Friedman argue that migration is not necessarily bad for periphery areas?
The profits and outputs of the core will trickle down to the periphery
What are the critiques of the core-periphery model?
- Ignores issues of national identity
- Changing technology like remote working may reduce need for economic migration
- Too optimistic that there will be a trickle-down from the core to the periphery
What are the four types of region in the core-periphery model?
- Core
- Upward transition
- Resource frontier: newly absorbed in the periphery
- Downward transition: failing economies
How does Australia limit migration?
Migrants must fill a ‘skills gap’ in the country
What is an economic restriction on migration?
Many migrants do not have the financial resources to move long-distance
What is ethnicity?
A group of people who share a common ancestry
What is segregation?
Where people of different ethnicities are separated into their own suburbs
What is assimilation?
When a migrant eventually ends up adopting some cultural traits belonging to their host country
Why are council estates spread across London?
To approve assimilation
What is brain drain?
Skilled labour leaving a country as highly-skilled workers can receive better pay for their work elsewhere
How has Cambodia been affected by brain drain?
An estimated 50% of their skilled labour has left
How many modern slaves are there estimated to be in the UK?
10,000
What are some social tensions caused by migration?
- Cultural clashes (e.g. UKIP)
- Human trafficking/modern slavery
What are some tensions caused by mass migration movements?
- Strain on public services
- Refugee crises: resources needed
What are some political tensions caused by migration?
- Populist parties
- Asylum seekers
- Border arguments (UK/France)
Why are there often political tensions at border crossings in relation to migration?
It is often unclear who is responsible for managing illegal migrants
Which EU politician is against the EU spending money on migration?
Viktor Orban, Hungarian PM
What is an economic advantage of migration?
Migrants set up their own businesses - multiplier effect
Where has Australia put its immigration detention centres?
On islands such as Papua New Guinea
What was Australia’s pre-1973 migration policy?
“White Australia” - People not from European descent were not allowed to enter the country
What are green cards?
Granted by the US government to allow migrants to live/work in the USA. They are hard to get.
Definition of a state
A territory over which no other country holds power or authority
Example of a country with a homogenous culture
Iceland
Examples of countries with a ‘melting pot’ of different cultures
- USA (Mexican, European, African-American)
- Singapore
What factors can influence borders?
- Natural barriers (e.g. mountains)
- Cultural and linguistic groups
- Politics
- Colonialism
- Ethnic groups
Example of a natural border
India and China are separated by the Himalayas
What is the 49th parallel?
The border between the US and Canada, decided in the Treaty of Oregon
How did the colonial powers decide African borders?
Mostly arbitrarily, however, they wanted to give themselves equal shares of resources
What decided the North/South Korean border?
An armistice following the Korean War
Why is the occupation of Crimea strategically advantageous?
Access to the Black Sea
What is nationalism?
The belief that you should take the interests of your own country over the interests of others
Examples of former French colonies which still speak French
Senegal, Mali, Cameroon
What was the British Raj?
The rule of India by the British
Examples of historic nationalism
- Colonialism
- WWI and WWII
What year did India gain independence from Britain?
1947
What year did Kenya gain independence from Britain?
1963
What was the “winds of change” movement?
African countries gaining independence from their former colonies in the mid-20th-century
What factors influenced ‘winds of change’?
- High cost of two world wars
- Improved education in colonies
- Less dependence on raw materials
- Nationalism and resistance to foreign rule
How did nationalism link to the ‘winds of change’?
Many Africans wanted to create countries for their national identity instead of being a subject to a European colony
What did rapid de-colonisation lead to?
A power vacuum
Examples of countries where the army took control following de-colonisation
DRC, Nigeria, Indonesia
How did the West cause increased post-colonial chaos?
Intervening in proxy wars (e.g. Vietnam, Korea)
What ethnic group in Rwanda seized control following de-colonisation?
Tutsi people
How did colonisation impact migration patterns?
Many former colonies have high migration to their former coloniser (e.g. Jamaica to UK) due to strong cultural ties
Issues with de-colonisation
- Power vacuum, often military dictatorships took control
- Disputes between ethnic groups
What is a tax haven?
A country where tax is extremely low
Examples of tax havens
- Monaco
- Cayman Islands
What is Monaco’s tax policy?
0% rate on income tax makes it attractive to wealthy individuals
Why do countries introduce low business tax rates?
To attract TNC investment
What countries have low business tax rates?
- Ireland
- Luxembourg
Why do large TNCs tend to avoid smaller tax havens?
Often the governments are not stable and therefore there is an increased risk (e.g. Bahamas)
What are the negatives of tax avoidance?
- Worse public services
- Lower welfare benefits
- Animosity as wealthy companies pay less tax than working individuals
What triggered the 2008 financial crash?
Banks handing out too many mortgages to people who couldn’t repay them
How has communist Cuba began to open up to more globalisation?
US tourists are now allowed to visit the country
Who was the authoritarian socialist leader of Venezuela?
Hugo Chavez
How did Venezuela’s socialist redistributive policies fail?
- Venezuela ranked 6th worst country to trade with by IMF
- Venezuela topped 2015 Global Misery Index
- Inflation up to 1m% in 2018
Who was the socialist president of Bolivia?
Morales
What was Bolivia’s redistributive policy?
National wealth from raw materials such as natural gas should be shared amongst the people
How many nations are in the UN?
193
Where are the UN’s headquarters?
New York
Who are the five permanent members of the UN security council?
Russia, China, UK, USA, France
What is the Geneva Convention?
Established by the UN to protect prisoners’ rights. If countries break the convention, they have broken international law
Functions of the UN
- Protecting human rights
- Applying sanctions to countries
- Upholding international law
- Setting targets (e.g. for climate)
What is the IPCC?
International Panel on Climate Change
|Established by UN; scientific advisory panel on climate
Examples of IPCC successes
- Kyoto protocol 1997
- Paris Agreement 2015
What UN charter protects children’s’ rights?
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)
Why are UN troops limited?
They are only for peace-keeping purposes and are not allowed to engage in any military action unless they are protecting themselves
What is the International Criminal Court (ICC)?
Court established in the Hague to try individuals for crimes like genocide
Why are ICC trials limited?
They are very slow
Example of an ICC trial
Karadzic is a Bosnian Serb
He was accused of massacre of 8,000 Bosnian Muslims
He was found guilty, but his trial lasted 8 years
Example of a UN refugee camp
Set up the Zaatari camp in Jordan to shelter refugees from the Syrian civil war
Example of UN economic sanctions
Iran was put under sanctions whilst it was developing its nuclear programme
Example of a cultural sanction
Russia was not allowed to compete at the 2018 Olympics
How does the UN protect human rights?
- Refugee camps
- Sanctions
- ICC
- Peacekeeping missions
What is a failed state?
Countries whose governments have lost political control
Examples of failed states
Somalia, Yemen, Syria
Examples of military interventions outside of the UN
- War on Terror, Iraq, Afghanistan
- Russia invasion of Ukraine
Three main financial IGOs
- World Trade Organisation (WTO)
- International Monetary Fund (IMF)
- World Bank
Aims of main financial IGOs
- Want to spread and maintain the dominance of western capitalism across the world
- Free markets to increase FDI
- Economic growth of developing countries
Aims of the World Trade Organisation
- Reducing tariffs
- Trade agreements
Aims of the IMF
- Encouraging countries to accept FDI
- Helping countries deal with financial crises
Example of IMF helping governments recover
In 2018, Argentina needed a $50bn loan after their currency weakened
Main criticism of the IMF
Promote western capitalism in the interests of TNCs
Aims of the World Bank
Lends money to countries to fund economic development
Criticism of the World Bank
Focus on economic development over social development
What are Structural Adjustment Programmes (SAPs)?
- Loans from institutions such as the IMF and World Bank
- Given in return for economic changes, such as privitisation which encourage free trade
Criticism of SAPs
The assumption that market liberalisation benefits the poor is flawed, trickle down economics, particularly in corrupt African countries is impossible
Example of a country which has had its debt cancelled
Chad
Examples of trade blocs
- the EU
- NAFTA
- ASEAN
What organisation helped to establish the Water Convention?
The UN
Aim of the Water convention
Protecting the quality, quantity and sustainability of trans-boundary bodies of water
What does UNCLOS stand for?
UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
Aim of UNCLOS
Managing navigation rights and access to seabed resources
What does CITES stand for?
Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species
Successes of CITES
Improved chances of survival for the Arabian Onyx in UAE and Qatar
3 examples of international environmental agreements
- Paris Climate Agreement (COP21)
- UNCLOS
- CITES
What did the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) forbid?
Banned all military activity in Antarctica
What did the Madrid Protocol forbid?
Mining for raw materials in Antarctica (except for scientific purposes)
How is nationalism spread in the UK?
- Sporting events
- Education system
How is the culture of Britain changing?
- Less Christian and more diverse religions
- Language becoming more Americanised
- Regional dialects becoming less distinct
- New foods (Chinese, Indian)
What percentage of London’s population were born in another country?
36.7%
Example of a British brand owned by a foreign company
Jaguar Land Rover - owned by Indian company Tata Motors
How can countries try and prevent foreign takeovers?
Increasing the percentage of shareholders needed for a takeover
(In the UK, it is 50% but in other countries it is higher)
Which American company acquired Cadbury in 2009?
Kraft
Why are foreign takeovers controversial?
Foreign companies do not have a vested interest in the country so will be less reluctant to close factories and cut jobs
What percentage of properties in London are foreign owned?
82%
Which country has banned foreigners from buying property?
New Zealand
Examples of European nationalist movements
- Scottish independence
- UKIP
- Catalonian independence
- Kosovo
What percentage of Scots voted for independence in 2014?
44.7%
What percentage of the vote did UKIP win in 2015?
12.7%
What country did Kosovo declare independence from, and when?
Serbia, 2008
Which area of India is seeking independence?
Kashmir - only majority Muslim region in India
Which area of China has a strong separatist movement?
Tibet
Which African country split due to internal ethnic tensions
Sudan (and South Sudan)
How many people died in the Sudanese civil war as of 2011?
2 million
How is South Sudan struggling?
- Mortality rate of 381/1000
- Less than 1% girls in primary school
