Migrants and integration
Lecture 1: International migration – definitions, types, trends and theories
Definitions
Definition international migration or what distinguishes a migrant from a tourist?
International migration is moving across international boundaries
Internal migration is happening much more than international migration moving inside the
country
And it must constitute a change of residence difference shopping in Germany and changing
residence
For purpose of international comparison permanent and long-term immigrants should include both
citizen and foreign nationals intending to stay for more than one year
International Organization of Migration is looser than United Nations defines immigrations as a
process by which non-nationals move into a country for the purpose of settlement
Various types of immigrants
Migrants is an umbrella term:
o Labor migrants: guest-workers, high vs low skilled
o Family migrants: family reunion and formation
o Refugees: asylum seekers, status holders, rejected asylum seekers
o International students
For example when you come here as an international student and fall in love and marry, there is an
overlap. And when you divorce you find a good job here
These groups can change
These classifications are often not reflecting reality conflict you should be aware of
Refugees and asylum seekers
Asylum seekers are people who make a formal request for asylum in another country because they
fear their life is at risk in their country of origin. They want to become status approved
Refugees: fleeing their home country to save their loves and who have been accepted and
recognized as such in their host country (“former asylum seekers”)
1951 UN convention: refugee: a person outside his or her country and ‘owing to well-founded fear
of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality or political opinion’
Various dichotomies in labeling immigrants
Voluntary versus forced migrants (due to threats to life, war, natural disasters)
Self-supported versus smuggled
Documented versus undocumented (or unauthorized)
Orderly versus irregular (or illegal)
Concerns labelling/use of types/dichotomies
Different definitions/interpretations in different countries
Labels do not fit complex realities (same person may be classifies as a refugee and family or labour
immigrant)
Some labels/types have a negative connotation in some contexts (which may hinder integration and
disacknowledge individual characteristics)
From various countries of origin
Nowadays immigrants from many different countries of origin (c_o) in many countries of
destination (c_d)
More diversity in terms of nationalities, ethnic groups, cultures, religious denominations
, Rich and complex structure of migrants
And differences in time of arrival: some immigrant groups have a relatively longer history in
countries of destination due to dome special circumstances such as decolonization
In the Netherlands, what are the biggest groups of migrants?
In 2020 family migrants with 39%
Low skilled labor for migrants, high skilled jobs are for citizens
Companies want high skilled people. If you are a migrant, you get 30% tax reduction
60% of migrants are high skilled
Large majority of high skilled are male and outside Europe
Actual trends in migration to the NL since 2000
Family migration Is the main type iin numerical terms
Asylum migration volume fluctuated considerably:
o Reduces to less than one third between 2000 and 2009
o Increased to record in 2014 and 2015
Strong increase in labour migration (mainly form EU like Poles and Germans)
String increase in international students
How do we know this
Different ways collecting data
o Population registers
o Administrative sources
o Border controls
o Household surveys
Migration data limitations and concerns
Sometimes difficult to compate stocks or flow across countries: different definitions and different
way of data-collection
Undocumented/irregular immigrants are not included in official data sources (in some cases based
on estimations)
Mainly western countries collect migration data in a systematic way (allowing cross-national
comparisons
Only a few (comparative) survey studies focus on explanatory factors. These studies often measure
intention to migrate and not actual migration
Theories on migration patterns
Migration flow (how many migrants came to the Netherlands this year compared to last year) and
migration stock (counting how many migrants are in the Netherlands, concrete number)
Different meaning, different numbers
Migration theories
Explanations at different level of analysis
o Micro level: characteristics of individuals, always individual factors
o Meso level: characteristics of migrant networks or households. Physical, socio-cultural and
community environment
o Macro level: characteristics of countries (push and pull factors). Policies and government
Main theories
1. Neo-classical economics
Main assumption: people are rational: individuals move to where they will get the most gain. This is
an investment in human capital
, People want to increase their income, human capital
Macro-level: push-pull approach
Main explanatory variables:
o Income.wage differential
o Unemployment differential
Some recent studies apply a newer version of this theory include a broader range of push- and pull
factors
If unemployment rates are the lowest migrate
Micro-level: cost-benefit analysis
Main explanatory variables:
o Expected income
o Likelihood of employment
This is what drives people. It explains why people migrate more from developing countries to
western countries
Critique:
o Social ties
o Other reasons than mony
o Colonial ties
2. New economics
Focus on country of origin
Main assumption: migration decisions are taken by larger units of people in order ro minimize risk
of household income
Migration decisions are taken by the household/family (individual actor may not prefer to migrate)
Notion of relative deprivation (that is reference group is other families/communities)
Main explanatory variables:
o Low/no acces to capital
o Lack of social security
o High transaction costs
3. Segmented labour market
Main assumption: industrious countries have an inherent demand for “immigrant labour”
Primary segment: capital intensive sectors, with mainly skilled work with relatively high income and
status
Secondary segment: labor intensive sectors, unskilled work; low income/status jobs
Explanatory factors:
o Demand jobs in dual labour market
Primary segment
Secondary segment
4. World system theory
Main assumption: Relationships between countries shapes migration; Capitalist investments of
(core) industrial countries to less developed (peripheral) countries lead to migration to the more
developed countries (profiting of cheap labour)
Marxist / anti-capitalist analysis
Focus on relationship between country of origin and country of destination
Main explanatory factors:
o Rate of growth in capital investment of C_d in C_o
o Former colonies
o Cultural similarities (e.g., language or religious denomination)
o Established communication and transport connections
o Presence of ‘main international harbors’
5. Social capital theory:
Main assumption: social ties in country of destination increase likelihood of migration
Lecture 1: International migration – definitions, types, trends and theories
Definitions
Definition international migration or what distinguishes a migrant from a tourist?
International migration is moving across international boundaries
Internal migration is happening much more than international migration moving inside the
country
And it must constitute a change of residence difference shopping in Germany and changing
residence
For purpose of international comparison permanent and long-term immigrants should include both
citizen and foreign nationals intending to stay for more than one year
International Organization of Migration is looser than United Nations defines immigrations as a
process by which non-nationals move into a country for the purpose of settlement
Various types of immigrants
Migrants is an umbrella term:
o Labor migrants: guest-workers, high vs low skilled
o Family migrants: family reunion and formation
o Refugees: asylum seekers, status holders, rejected asylum seekers
o International students
For example when you come here as an international student and fall in love and marry, there is an
overlap. And when you divorce you find a good job here
These groups can change
These classifications are often not reflecting reality conflict you should be aware of
Refugees and asylum seekers
Asylum seekers are people who make a formal request for asylum in another country because they
fear their life is at risk in their country of origin. They want to become status approved
Refugees: fleeing their home country to save their loves and who have been accepted and
recognized as such in their host country (“former asylum seekers”)
1951 UN convention: refugee: a person outside his or her country and ‘owing to well-founded fear
of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality or political opinion’
Various dichotomies in labeling immigrants
Voluntary versus forced migrants (due to threats to life, war, natural disasters)
Self-supported versus smuggled
Documented versus undocumented (or unauthorized)
Orderly versus irregular (or illegal)
Concerns labelling/use of types/dichotomies
Different definitions/interpretations in different countries
Labels do not fit complex realities (same person may be classifies as a refugee and family or labour
immigrant)
Some labels/types have a negative connotation in some contexts (which may hinder integration and
disacknowledge individual characteristics)
From various countries of origin
Nowadays immigrants from many different countries of origin (c_o) in many countries of
destination (c_d)
More diversity in terms of nationalities, ethnic groups, cultures, religious denominations
, Rich and complex structure of migrants
And differences in time of arrival: some immigrant groups have a relatively longer history in
countries of destination due to dome special circumstances such as decolonization
In the Netherlands, what are the biggest groups of migrants?
In 2020 family migrants with 39%
Low skilled labor for migrants, high skilled jobs are for citizens
Companies want high skilled people. If you are a migrant, you get 30% tax reduction
60% of migrants are high skilled
Large majority of high skilled are male and outside Europe
Actual trends in migration to the NL since 2000
Family migration Is the main type iin numerical terms
Asylum migration volume fluctuated considerably:
o Reduces to less than one third between 2000 and 2009
o Increased to record in 2014 and 2015
Strong increase in labour migration (mainly form EU like Poles and Germans)
String increase in international students
How do we know this
Different ways collecting data
o Population registers
o Administrative sources
o Border controls
o Household surveys
Migration data limitations and concerns
Sometimes difficult to compate stocks or flow across countries: different definitions and different
way of data-collection
Undocumented/irregular immigrants are not included in official data sources (in some cases based
on estimations)
Mainly western countries collect migration data in a systematic way (allowing cross-national
comparisons
Only a few (comparative) survey studies focus on explanatory factors. These studies often measure
intention to migrate and not actual migration
Theories on migration patterns
Migration flow (how many migrants came to the Netherlands this year compared to last year) and
migration stock (counting how many migrants are in the Netherlands, concrete number)
Different meaning, different numbers
Migration theories
Explanations at different level of analysis
o Micro level: characteristics of individuals, always individual factors
o Meso level: characteristics of migrant networks or households. Physical, socio-cultural and
community environment
o Macro level: characteristics of countries (push and pull factors). Policies and government
Main theories
1. Neo-classical economics
Main assumption: people are rational: individuals move to where they will get the most gain. This is
an investment in human capital
, People want to increase their income, human capital
Macro-level: push-pull approach
Main explanatory variables:
o Income.wage differential
o Unemployment differential
Some recent studies apply a newer version of this theory include a broader range of push- and pull
factors
If unemployment rates are the lowest migrate
Micro-level: cost-benefit analysis
Main explanatory variables:
o Expected income
o Likelihood of employment
This is what drives people. It explains why people migrate more from developing countries to
western countries
Critique:
o Social ties
o Other reasons than mony
o Colonial ties
2. New economics
Focus on country of origin
Main assumption: migration decisions are taken by larger units of people in order ro minimize risk
of household income
Migration decisions are taken by the household/family (individual actor may not prefer to migrate)
Notion of relative deprivation (that is reference group is other families/communities)
Main explanatory variables:
o Low/no acces to capital
o Lack of social security
o High transaction costs
3. Segmented labour market
Main assumption: industrious countries have an inherent demand for “immigrant labour”
Primary segment: capital intensive sectors, with mainly skilled work with relatively high income and
status
Secondary segment: labor intensive sectors, unskilled work; low income/status jobs
Explanatory factors:
o Demand jobs in dual labour market
Primary segment
Secondary segment
4. World system theory
Main assumption: Relationships between countries shapes migration; Capitalist investments of
(core) industrial countries to less developed (peripheral) countries lead to migration to the more
developed countries (profiting of cheap labour)
Marxist / anti-capitalist analysis
Focus on relationship between country of origin and country of destination
Main explanatory factors:
o Rate of growth in capital investment of C_d in C_o
o Former colonies
o Cultural similarities (e.g., language or religious denomination)
o Established communication and transport connections
o Presence of ‘main international harbors’
5. Social capital theory:
Main assumption: social ties in country of destination increase likelihood of migration
