Volume 25, number 4 (2004)
Migration and Development: A Thematic Focus
Introduction
“Apart from the substantive findings related to the causative conditions and gender-differentiated impacts of South–North migration flows, the three articles in this thematic section exemplify important differences in the way that economists approach and analyse migration and development. The most important difference is in positivistic and structural approaches toward analysis of the critical variables, all of which relate to objectively given conditions that are deemed to have a causative effect … There are many other issues under debate among scholars of migration and its connection to the development process. These three articles by no means settle the debate. But they do raise important questions that need to be addressed in further enquiry … ”
The Effects of Poverty, Environmental Degradation, and Gender Conditions on South-North Migration
This paper reviews the evidence on how poverty, environmental degradation, and gender conditions affect migration, and then tests some of the hypotheses that emerge using emigration rates from low- and middle-income countries to wealthier industrial countries. At the source country level of analysis, the relationship between income and emigration rates is non-linear. Several other variables, such as economic growth, education level, and access to health care, help to explain migration rates. While the results here must be considered preliminary, evidence does emerge that gender conditions and environmental degradation may also be associated with South-North migration rates.
Rôles de la migration dans la transformation des rapports de genre dans les villages du Mali-Sud
Since the 1950s, sub-Saharan Africa has been the scene of major migratory movements by both men and women. Mali is one of the main sources of emigrants. This paper tests whether migration is a means for south Malian women to improve their economic status (entrepreneurial opportunities, control over more income, reduced income disparity between men and women) and social status (household management, personal autonomy). The benefits in terms of gender relations are, however, limited to the period of active migration. We conclude that women must accompany their spouses to benefit from migration but that regardless of the migration decision, education can improve the socioeconomic status of women.
Critical Dimensions of Mexico–US Migration under the Aegis of Neoliberalism and NAFTA
The main objective of this article is to offer a critical overview of the present nature of Mexico–US migration, taking into account the broad and intricate spectrum of labour relations that has arisen among both nations in the context of the new forms of domination characterizing US imperialism. The article’s primary interest lies in penetrating the content and scope of this phenomenon in an attempt to reveal the strategic role played by the exportation of Mexican labour in the process of US industrial restructuring, both within and beyond its borders. For this purpose, five critical dimensions of the phenomenon are analysed: (1) the true face of the economic integration process between Mexico and the United States under the ægis of neoliberalism; (2) the new dynamics of Mexico–US migration; (3) the particular dialectic between Mexico’s export-led growth model and the migration process; (4) the economic and geopolitical implications of the bilateral agenda on migration issues; and (5) the responses and alternative approaches that have emerged from the rank and file of the migrant community itself.
Articles
Modelling Poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa and Policy Implications for Poverty Reduction: Evidence from Ghana
This study examines the causes of poverty in sub-Saharan Africa by reviewing the relevant literature on poverty and using the Ghanaian economy to shed light on the poverty situation. Using data from the 1998–99 Ghana living standards survey and probit and OLS models, we find that higher levels of education unambiguously reduce the incidence and depth of poverty. Household characteristics, type of economic activity, physical capital ownership, and financial capital accessibility are all important determinants of poverty. These results are true not only for our national model but also for the disaggregated models for wage employment and self-employment.
Social Policies under SAP in Ghana: Implications for Children’s Human Capital Formation
In the 1980s and 1990s, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank recommended a structural adjustment program (SAP) in Ghana as a response to its economic crises. This paper examines educational and health policies under SAP and addresses the following issues: How did educational and health policies impact children? What are the implications of these impacts for the future of children and human capital formation? To answer these questions, we investigate the (1) availability and accessibility of schools and health facilities; (2) quality of schools and health care; (3) costs associated with schooling and using health facilities; and (4) factors that moderate the impact of education and health policies on the lives of children. The findings are that of (1) low educational attainment; (2) poor health, high morbidity and mortality levels; and (3) inequities based on geography, income, and gender. The implication for policy is that there is a need to promote human capital development by investing in it.
‘I Sell My Labour Now’: Gender and Livelihood Diversification in Uganda
During the 1990s, the economic reform policies adopted by the Ugandan government delivered some of the highest growth rates in Africa. However, despite Uganda’s impressive macroeconomic performance, poverty remains intractable among certain groups such as rural female-headed households (FHHS). Recent studies have shown the important role that diversification into non-farm activities can play in contributing to poverty reduction and enhancing the livelihood options of the rural poor. This paper explores the linkages between household headship and livelihood diversification in three Uganda districts: Mbale, Kamuli, and Mubende. While households are diversifying into a range of non-farm activities, the gender of the household head differentiates households’ abilities to construct adequate livelihoods. In particular, female household heads face distinct constraints stemming from differential access to productive resources and cultural norms, which mediate their access to livelihood strategies that are more lucrative. This paper argues that achieving poverty reduction and income security for FHHS requires extending the focus of a livelihoods analysis to the ways in which cultural values, political interests, and social relations circumscribe access to economic options.
The Performance of the Labour Market in Guyana
This paper examines the state of the labour market in Guyana. The paper shows that economic reforms led to robust economic growth in the 1990s, but the labour force participation rates and total employment fell during 1993–99. Reductions in public sector employment were largely responsible for the decline in total employment. The agricultural sector is the largest employer of labour, accounting for nearly 30% of total employment and 29% of GDP. Nearly 42% of the employed labour force ekes out an existence in the informal sector, and around 57% of the poor is engaged in low productivity informal sector type activities. This suggests that there is a lack of good quality jobs and insufficient job opportunities in Guyana. Estimates of labour productivity show substantial disparities in productivity levels across various sectors of the economy, thereby providing evidence to support the theory of economic dualism and the existence of dual or segmented labour markets in Guyana. The evidence also shows that there exists a positive relationship between education attainment and employment.
Work–Study Abroad Courses in International Development Studies: Some Ethical and Pedagogical Issues
A strong presumption in many International Development Studies programs appears to be that field or work placements are intrinsically effective and good. But what does it really mean to put relatively affluent, mostly white undergraduates in a “real world” situation abroad for a short stint of time? What are the specific risks in terms of development ethics and educational goals? This article considers possible contradictions between common practice and general statements of ethical guidelines for international exchanges and research. It then suggests strategies to make teaching, assessment, and follow-up in work–study programs more self-aware and consistent with the advanced ethical standards.
Reviews
Who’s In and Who’s Out: Social Exclusion in Latin America, Jere R. Berham, Alejandro Gaviria, and Miguel Székely
Unsustainable South Africa: Environment, Development and Social Protest, Patrick Bond
Health Care Reform in Central America: NGO-Government Collaboration in Guatemala and El Salvador, Alberto Jose Frick Cardelle
Informal Economy Centrestage: New Structures of Employment, Renana Jhabvala, Ratna M. Sudharshan, and Jeemol Unni
Latin American Democracies in the New Global Economy, Ana Margheritis (ed.)
System in Crisis: The Dynamics of Free Market Capitalism, James Petras and Henry Veltmeyer
State of the World 2004: A Worldwatch Institute Report on Progress Toward a Sustainable Society, Brian Halweil, Lisa Mastny, Erik Assadourian, Linda Starke, Worldwatch Institute