The Importance Of Migration

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Migration has always been part of human societies. Mobility and adaptation to distinct environments are trademarks of our evolutionary history. According to UN’s International Organization for Migration estimates , there are around a billion migrants around the world, 230 million of them living outside their birth countries (international migrants). Over 10% of the population in developed countries is foreign-born, against 1.6% at the world periphery. In absolute numbers, this accounts for 135 million international migrants living in developed countries and 95 million in undeveloped ones. The rising inequalities between poor and rich countries during the 20th Century, the evolution in transport technologies and globalization suggest that international…show more content…
Those are also the most difficult to categorize, as they involve a variety of determinants e features. One can perceive economic migration from poorer to middle-income countries, migrations motivated by specific productive sectors and niches; a series of circular and seasonal migrations; a “horizontal” move between neighboring countries; migration motivated by ethnical and religious issues, political and economic instability and civil or military conflicts, among…show more content…
Temporary and circular migration increase with the advance of transport technology, even if most of humanity lacks resources to appropriate those. Internet and other communication technologies increase the migrants’ capacity to inform about his destination, as allow them to keep closer ties with his origin country. Advances in surveillance and control technologies might increase state’s power to effect restrictive migration policies and make it harder for irregular migrants to cross borders. Population ageing in developed countries, on the other hand, might alleviate the pressure on restrictions as they need a younger workforce. Global warming, rising seas, the deterioration of soils and rivers, environmental disasters, seismic and climatic extreme events, all may generate important human movements for the next decades, as an increasing number of people are pushed to inhabit areas of risk as disputes for scarce and valuable urban spaces
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