Migrants and Integration
Preparation lecture 1
Hooghe(2008) Migration to European countries: structural explanation of
patterns
Problem - A lot of migration to Western Europe
- Despite legal obstacles
- You would think some countries would attract the most
migrants because of the conditions, but it’s not the
case
- Push factors well researched, but what are the pull
factors?
Question
- Why settle in particular country (EU in this case)
- Reach better understanding of validity of theoretical
approaches with huge data of 21 EU countries and
long-term (25-year period) migration flow models
Theory - People migrate for various reasons:
1. Family reunification
2. Employment/work/labour migrants
3. Political asylum seekers
- Economic reasons are main push factor
- Three approaches explaining pull factors:
1. Economic and labour theories: shortage in labour
market, so migrate to country with work
2. Cultural and world system theory: migration
patterns reflect centre-periphery relations in world
system
3. Social capital or social network approach: migrants
attracted by community of same ethnic group in
destination country
Castles & Miller
- Push-pull framework
- Liberal economic theories
- Migration caused by supply-demand (macro) and
individual cost-benefit analyses (micro) equilibrium
on labour market
- Critique: too narrow and economically focused
World systems theory
- Migrant flows triggered when capitalist economic
relations enter non- or pre-capitalist societies
- Education system can attract colonial subjects to
colonizer
- Structural unbalancing causes migration: can be
brought by mass communication (Western lifestyle)
- There are more migration-facilitating networks,
reducing cost and risk
,Hypotheses Economic theory
- Migrants go where there is shortage of labourers with
certain skills
- Balance supply and demand by migrating
World system theory paradigm
- Move from peripheral to central countries
- Migration likely between colonies and colonist country,
bcs cultural, linguistic, administrative, investment,
transportation links
- Transnational markets and cultural systems
- Cultural hegemony: domination or rule maintained
through ideological or cultural means why colonies
have language and culture of colonist country
Social networks explanation
- Chain migration: established communities attract their
own ethnic group
- The bigger the community, the higher the migration
flow
Results Economic hypotheses
- Attractiveness of country based on unemployment
rate, economic growth, GDP per capita, total social
expenditure
- Higher inhabitants attract more immigrants
- GDP per capita, social expenditure, economic growth
not significantly related to influx of migrants
- Migration is powerful and efficient mechanism to
restore imbalance on labour market
World system approach: colonial past
- Distance from country to equator doesn’t influence
inflow of migrants
- Colonial past related to migration fluxes
- The more inhabitants, the more immigration
- Higher immigration rates from commonwealth
countries (former colonies)
World system hypotheses: language
- Correlation between language and language of
immigration country strong
- Colonial past way stronger, so language not that
important
Network approach
- Amount of foreigners in country doesn’t strongly
correlate with number of immigrants
- Attractiveness of country not explained very well by
stock of present foreigners
Political control variables
- Countries with legislation against discrimination tend to
attract fewer immigrants (not stable relation)
, - No good statistics bcs 21 countries included
- Political policy can influence economic prosperity and
employment, so still possible effect on immigration
An integrated model
- All significant relations included
- Immigration increases over time, but bcs explanation
from other variables, time is not significant
- Population of host significant
- Colonial past and unemployment significant still
- Economic and cultural frameworks both
complementary and are both valid
- More immigration when lower unemployment
- Colonial powers attract immigrants cultural
hegemony
Discussion/conclusion - Created model usable to reconstruct structures in
migrant flows in Europe
- Economic and cultural approach best indicators for pull
factors
Economic model
- Highest GDP a not really important pull factors
- Pull factor is shortage in labour market
- Social expenditure not important
New question
- How is equilibrium between immigration and labour
market reached
Cultural model
- Colonial past important factor
- Cultural hegemony
- Language important
Neumayer(2005) Bogus refugees? The determinants of asylum migration to
western Europe
Problem - Conflict between natives and asylum seekers created
by asylum migration
- Countries trying to pass migration burden to other
country
- Flows of immigrants changed. From usually culturally
similar refugees to third-world
Question
- What factors explain asylum migration to Western
European countries
- Economic factors only explanatory factor? there is
perception of bogus refugees: luck seekers
- Or violence, human rights abuse and political
oppression also important
- What is a genuine refugee?
- Little has been done to fix reasons causing asylum-
Preparation lecture 1
Hooghe(2008) Migration to European countries: structural explanation of
patterns
Problem - A lot of migration to Western Europe
- Despite legal obstacles
- You would think some countries would attract the most
migrants because of the conditions, but it’s not the
case
- Push factors well researched, but what are the pull
factors?
Question
- Why settle in particular country (EU in this case)
- Reach better understanding of validity of theoretical
approaches with huge data of 21 EU countries and
long-term (25-year period) migration flow models
Theory - People migrate for various reasons:
1. Family reunification
2. Employment/work/labour migrants
3. Political asylum seekers
- Economic reasons are main push factor
- Three approaches explaining pull factors:
1. Economic and labour theories: shortage in labour
market, so migrate to country with work
2. Cultural and world system theory: migration
patterns reflect centre-periphery relations in world
system
3. Social capital or social network approach: migrants
attracted by community of same ethnic group in
destination country
Castles & Miller
- Push-pull framework
- Liberal economic theories
- Migration caused by supply-demand (macro) and
individual cost-benefit analyses (micro) equilibrium
on labour market
- Critique: too narrow and economically focused
World systems theory
- Migrant flows triggered when capitalist economic
relations enter non- or pre-capitalist societies
- Education system can attract colonial subjects to
colonizer
- Structural unbalancing causes migration: can be
brought by mass communication (Western lifestyle)
- There are more migration-facilitating networks,
reducing cost and risk
,Hypotheses Economic theory
- Migrants go where there is shortage of labourers with
certain skills
- Balance supply and demand by migrating
World system theory paradigm
- Move from peripheral to central countries
- Migration likely between colonies and colonist country,
bcs cultural, linguistic, administrative, investment,
transportation links
- Transnational markets and cultural systems
- Cultural hegemony: domination or rule maintained
through ideological or cultural means why colonies
have language and culture of colonist country
Social networks explanation
- Chain migration: established communities attract their
own ethnic group
- The bigger the community, the higher the migration
flow
Results Economic hypotheses
- Attractiveness of country based on unemployment
rate, economic growth, GDP per capita, total social
expenditure
- Higher inhabitants attract more immigrants
- GDP per capita, social expenditure, economic growth
not significantly related to influx of migrants
- Migration is powerful and efficient mechanism to
restore imbalance on labour market
World system approach: colonial past
- Distance from country to equator doesn’t influence
inflow of migrants
- Colonial past related to migration fluxes
- The more inhabitants, the more immigration
- Higher immigration rates from commonwealth
countries (former colonies)
World system hypotheses: language
- Correlation between language and language of
immigration country strong
- Colonial past way stronger, so language not that
important
Network approach
- Amount of foreigners in country doesn’t strongly
correlate with number of immigrants
- Attractiveness of country not explained very well by
stock of present foreigners
Political control variables
- Countries with legislation against discrimination tend to
attract fewer immigrants (not stable relation)
, - No good statistics bcs 21 countries included
- Political policy can influence economic prosperity and
employment, so still possible effect on immigration
An integrated model
- All significant relations included
- Immigration increases over time, but bcs explanation
from other variables, time is not significant
- Population of host significant
- Colonial past and unemployment significant still
- Economic and cultural frameworks both
complementary and are both valid
- More immigration when lower unemployment
- Colonial powers attract immigrants cultural
hegemony
Discussion/conclusion - Created model usable to reconstruct structures in
migrant flows in Europe
- Economic and cultural approach best indicators for pull
factors
Economic model
- Highest GDP a not really important pull factors
- Pull factor is shortage in labour market
- Social expenditure not important
New question
- How is equilibrium between immigration and labour
market reached
Cultural model
- Colonial past important factor
- Cultural hegemony
- Language important
Neumayer(2005) Bogus refugees? The determinants of asylum migration to
western Europe
Problem - Conflict between natives and asylum seekers created
by asylum migration
- Countries trying to pass migration burden to other
country
- Flows of immigrants changed. From usually culturally
similar refugees to third-world
Question
- What factors explain asylum migration to Western
European countries
- Economic factors only explanatory factor? there is
perception of bogus refugees: luck seekers
- Or violence, human rights abuse and political
oppression also important
- What is a genuine refugee?
- Little has been done to fix reasons causing asylum-
