Population and international migration
Swamy, Gurushri
International migration is a conspicuous form of population interaction between richer and poorer countries. This paper makes an assessment of the dimensions of past and present day migration, its determinants, the effects on sending countries, costs and benefits and the nature of constraints on free movement of people. Available data on (temporary) migrant characteristics is put together to analyze which individuals try to or actually emigrate. Although data do not permit clear conclusions, they suggest that the financial costs of migration can be high thus making it difficult for the very poor or unemployed to migrate. Data on migrant's savings and remittances and the effects of remittances on family expenditures is examined to show that migrants and their household are high savers and there is a pronounced preference for spending on housing, land, and new construction. The paper attempts a discussion of the major issues in cost-benefit analysis and summarizes a few studies which show that the benefits are likely to be greater when emigration involves relatively unskilled workers. Available information on skill composition of temporary worker migrants is analyzed to show that for many sending countries, the proportion of unskilled and semiskilled workers is substantial.
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