Trafficking: a perspective from Asia.

The main theme of this article is market development and trafficking as a business. It touches upon most of the aspects of the phenomenon, which have been encountered elsewhere, and translates them into the relatively unfamiliar context of many of the Asian and South-East Asian economies. Equally, the literature cited is also probably unfamiliar. Themes touched upon include democratization, inter-state relations, human rights, and scale and perspectives, together with the problems of definitions, theory, and the reliability of data. The directions and characteristics of trafficking flows together with routes and border control are also considered. Coordinated official responses to criminality and criminal organizations, as well as to trafficked individuals, are beginning to emerge. There is a note of caution sounded that contextual and cultural perspectives, particularly on sex workers, must be viewed somewhat differently to those in Western societies. The article concludes that as long as countries in Asia maintain their policies of restrictive immigration, trafficking can be expected to continue and almost certainly increase. This is because accelerating development creates demand for labor at various skill levels and because even in times of recession migrants and brokers will seek to side-step attempts to expel immigrants and restrict access to labor markets. The elimination of trafficking is unlikely to be realistically achieved through legislation and declarations of intent but by improvements in the socioeconomic status of the population.

Urbanization and migration in the ESCAP region.

PIP: This study examined trends in urbanization and migration for countries in the Asian (ESCAP) region. By 2050, 50% of the global population will be living in towns and cities. In the ESCAP region, about 37% lived in urban areas in 1997, or 25% of global population. Urban population growth in ESCAP is around 2.9%. Patterns of urbanization vary by and within regions. Group I countries with high levels of urbanization tend to be on the periphery of the ESCAP region, with the exception of Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore. Group III countries with low levels of urbanization are among the poorest in the region. Group II countries with medium levels of urbanization include the southwest and central Asian economies and the rapidly growing economies of China and India. Group IV countries have small economies and populations and depend upon larger external countries. Huge countries, such as China, India, and Indonesia, have great ranges in patterns of urbanization. Group I countries are likely to remain at their high levels. Group III countries are likely to experience rapid urban growth. Group II countries should experience the most dramatic shifts in urbanization. Group IV countries will have variable growth rates. Urban growth includes natural increase, net migration, and reclassification. Migration increased from over 40% of urban growth in the 1960s to 63.6% in the 1980s, or 48.9% when excluding China. Migration's share of urban population is likely to increase as fertility declines. Patterns and characteristics of migration are described for each of the 4 types of countries.^ieng

Rural-to-urban migration and its implications for poverty alleviation.

PIP: This article examines rural-urban migration, its role in poverty alleviation in Thailand, and policy implications. The empirical research literature suggests that the poorest tend be left behind by wealthier migrants moving to urban areas. The youngest tend to migrate. The impact of remittances tends to appear more positive in international migration, but the impact of remittances among rural internal migrant families can also be substantial and be responsible for wealth differences within rural communities. Return migrants contribute to communities by bringing back new ideas and new attitudes toward family size. Migration can also produce negative impacts for sending communities, but the total analysis appears to favor positive impacts. The urban sector becomes another resource base for rural populations that can sustain rural populations during rapid change processes. The migrant population tends to be wealthier and better educated than rural populations, but poorer and less educated than urban populations. Informal sectors in urban areas may offer migrants flexible working hours, no taxes or deductions, less bureaucratic structures, and only 9% less income than the formal sector. Social networks reinforce migrant work in the informal sector and segmentation of the labor force. Social networks may be formalized into associations and help in securing migrant's housing and living. Migrants are integrated in a variety of ways into city life. Migrant communities are a source of energy, organizational skills, and talent. The incidence of poverty appears to be the greatest among women. Women migrants and women left behind by migrants must adjust to new conditions. Migration policies tend to focus on regulating the volume of migration. The author concludes that migration alleviates poverty and that policies should address city management, migrant adjustment processes, and training programs for nonmigrants.^ieng

Migrating to learn and learning to migrate: a study of the experiences and intentions of international student migrants.

"The research reported here evaluates whether students come to the UK mainly for educational reasons, and therefore perceive their stay as temporary, or whether emigration for study is being used as part of a conscious strategy by people intending to become future labour migrants.... The simplest interpretation of the results appears to be that migration, experienced as a result of international moves for study purposes, does not influence planning of further migration moves. But the research also indicates that migration for education is closely tied to other types of population redistribution and should be treated by population geographers as an integral part of international migration systems." Data were collected by questionnaire survey from 349 engineering students at Hong Kong universities and 82 Hong Kong students studying engineering in the UK.

The British who are not British and the immigration policies that are not: the case of Hong Kong.

"While 'closed-door' immigration policies are adopted by most countries, 'exceptionalist' legislation is often made to permit entry of special immigrant groups. An example is the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1990, which was passed in the run-up to the change in sovereignty of Hong Kong in 1997. Britain's increasingly restrictive immigration policies prior to 1990 [have] resulted in the majority of Hong Kong citizens having British nationality (as British Dependent Territories citizens) but without the right of abode in the U.K. The 1990 Act conferred full British citizenship status on 50,000 heads of households in Hong Kong." The authors conclude that "in a world of marked global inequalities, immigration pressure will become even more extreme and is likely to produce an increasing number of cases of exceptionalist immigration legislation in countries with both ¿open' and 'closed'-door policies.'

Discourse on migration and ethnic identity: interviews with professionals in Hong Kong.

"This paper has revealed a complex set of relationships between migration, place and ethnic identity [in Hong Kong]. On the one hand, ethnic identity is shaped by the places where people have lived, particularly the places where they have spent the early years of their life; on the other [hand], places--being the context for socialization--provide the milieux where people learn who and what they are and how to act...." The authors note that "while legislation clearly regulates levels of immigration, international migration is also self-regulated by potential migrants in relation to interpretations of their ethnic identities and their perceptions of 'other' places."

The challenge facing migration research: a case for greater awareness.

The author critically examines an article by Keith Halfacree and Paul Boyle, in which the authors made a case for a biographical approach to migration research. "My point of contention--incredulous disbelief might be more accurate--stems from their conclusion that the biographical approach should be the ¿new' methodological base for an improved paradigm in migration studies."

Australia, Hong Kong and 1997: the population connection.

"What is the likely impact for migration to Australia of Hong Kong's incorporation into the People's Republic of China in 1997? Recent movements of people to and from Australia and Hong Kong suggest it may not be as great as some imagine." Aspects considered include the economic situation in Hong Kong and emigration; emigration tendencies; policy and return movements; migration and trade; and future prospects.

Turning points in labor migration: the case of Hong Kong.

"The Hong Kong experience of emigration and immigration does not fit neatly into models of migration transition. As a city-state with a small rural population, it has exhibited different developmental characteristics from the larger Asian newly industrialized economies. Geopolitical factors have also played a key role in 'patterns' of migration, such as restrictive immigration policies in receiving countries. Also significant are individual considerations of political and economic risk, as evidenced by the current rise in the emigration of skilled and professional workers prior to the return of Hong Kong to China. The author concludes that, rather than a simple turning point in labor migration, there may be multiple turning points in a complex sequence of change."

On mobility and fertility transitions in east and southeast Asia.

The relationship between fertility and mobility is examined with reference to Zelinsky's [1971] mobility transition hypothesis. Five Asian countries (Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, China) at different stages of development and mobility transition are compared with respect to shifting sectoral patterns of migration and changing levels of fertility. National trends suggest that the development sequence proposed by Zelinsky on the basis of the European experience does not generally apply to Asia. In four out of five cases examined, fertility declined before substantial urbanization took place. Zelinsky's sequence of mobility change should be modified to fit the experience of developing countries, but the importance of the interrelations hip between fertility decline and mobility change remains

International migration within and from the East and Southeast Asian region: a review essay.

The author reviews the literature on the trends and characteristics of international migration within and from East and Southeast Asia, with a focus on the past 25 years. "Five migration systems are described: settler, student, contract labor, skilled labor, and refugee. Settler migration to the U.S., Canada and Australia has consisted primarily of family members.... Contract labor migration, particularly to the Middle East, has provided jobs, foreign currency through remittances and greater participation of women, but also led to illegal migration, skills drain, and labor abuses. The hierarchy of development has led to intra-regional flows: (1) skilled labor mainly from Japan to other countries in the region, and (2) contract labor and illegal migration from the LDCs to the NIEs [newly industrializing economies] and Japan."

The relationship between migration and development in the ESCAP region.

PIP: The relationship between migration and development in the ESCAP region including southeast and south Asian countries and the Pacific island of Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Samoa, and the Solomon Islands is discussed in terms of mobility transition and origin and destination factors. The changing patterns of mobility in Asia are further delineated in the discussion of internal movements and international movement. Emigration in the smaller countries of the Pacific are treated separately. Future predictions are that the Asia Pacific region will experience continued fertility decline and stabilization of low rates over the next 20 years. The declines will result in slow labor force growth, and increased demand for labor in traditional core and neocore countries as defined and presented in table form by Friedman will be heightened. International movements are likely to increase in large urban areas within destination countries. Tokyo and Singapore are the principal cities in Asia. Tokyo by restrictive government policy has limited immigration, but future labor shortages of unskilled labor from southeast Asia and China are expected. Singapore is already dependent on foreign labor by 10%. Current labor shortages have led to the creation of a growth triangle between Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Other cities expected to emerge as primary cities in international regional complexes with spillover into the hinterlands include the Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Macau triangle in the Pearl River delta, Taipei and Seoul, and possibly Kuala Lumpur. Internal migration is expected to increase in the capital cities of Bangkok, Manila,j and centers such as Shanghai, Beijing, and other large cities of southeast Asia. These cities will be linked through the flows of skilled international migrants, which began in the 1960s and is expected to become a future major flow. Recreational and resource niches will be left in much of the Pacific, the Himalayan Kingdoms, and mountainous regions of northern southeast Asia and western China. Flows will be regulated by national government policy. Difficult decisions will be made on the extent to which multinational corporations and banks are sanctioned or regulated, i.e., currently Hong Kong development is company directed within the law governing power, transport, housing, and land, while in Singapore development is government planned and directed.^ieng

Migration and the population census in Asia and the Pacific: issues, questions and debate.

PIP: Skeldon discusses the main issues to be resolved when designing questions and strategies to collect migration-related data. The strengths and weaknesses of the various approaches are assessed in the light of the data collected by countries in the Asia-Pacific region during the 1980 round of Censuses. Each country has its own particular needs and must devise its questions accordingly. However, there are a few general principles that are likely to improve the quality of the basic data collected. Some of these principles follow. 1) Detailed information on migration can only be collected through specialized surveys. The census data must be able to provide information on the basic spatial and temporal structures of migration and only upon these can detailed subsequent work proceed. 2) De facto enumeration will not only provide a better quality of information, but will also capture a higher proportion of total human mobility than de jure enumeration. A question of last previous residence and a finely coded duration of residence question are likely to generate the most useful migration data. For reasons of simplicity, continuity, and utility, the question on birthplace is a fundamental census question. 3) In order not to overload census questionnaires, additional information on migration is best collected either through specialized census sample modules or through separate sample surveys.^ieng

Hong Kong and its hinterland: a case of international rural-to-urban migration?

"The historical background of migration to Hong Kong from China is reviewed. The focus is, however, on the 'wave' of migration that occurred in the late 1970s. Two distinct streams of migration are identified, legal and illegal, each with different characteristics." Data are primarily from official Hong Kong sources. The author notes the high levels of education among immigrants and the relative ease with which they have been absorbed into the labor force. "Political conditions in China are seen to be a major factor in explaining fluctuations in the volume of migration to Hong Kong. No relaxation of controls on future movement is seen as Hong Kong becomes part of China."

Population pressure, mobility, and socio-economic change in mountainous environments: regions of refuge in comparative perspective.

This paper examines demographic and socioeconomic forces in high isolated parts of the world. These regions were not always isolated; they were once the centers of their own particular worlds which, in some cases, were complex civilizations. It is their relegation to the very periphery of the modern world that is the principal theme of this paper. Population migration, both into and out of these areas, has played a vital role in linking mountainous regions to the wider world. Particular attention is paid to the part played by the traditional mobility patterns and by the resource base of the mountains in the transformation of integral, self-sufficient cultures into dependent, subservient part-cultures, the regions of refuge. The effect of population pressure and the development of outmigration from the Andes of Peru is examined first and the analysis extended to the highlands of Papua-New Guinea and to several regions in the Himalayan arc to provide the background for a comparative study of regions of refuge.

Migration in south Asia: an overview.

PIP: Past studies on migration patterns and flows in south Asia have been based on limited data. The present overview is based on a detailed study of census and survey data reaching back to the early 1950's. The study incorporates the thinking of several research scholars who have dealt with specialized areas of migration in individual countries, and in the region as a whole. The interrelationships between migration and development are considered in a final chapter, with special mention of future trends, associated with traditional practices and historical circumstances. Migration will be of great importance in the coming decades. The activities of "sons of soil" anti-migrant movements and anti-migrant legislation have had little, if any, effect on migration flows. As the population increases in villages and towns and jobs become scarce, migration is likely to become even more of a political issue. Less politically volatile is circulation between village and town or between villages, whereby the migrants can have access to resources in 2 or more places. This option may play a critical role in the continued survival of much of the population in the future. This has been perhaps the most important factor in explaining the relatively slow rate of urbanization in south Asia as it allowed the rural people to take advantage of the towns without causing a massive and permanent transfer of population. The numbers who practice this "bilocality" are therefore likely to increase and migrants will continue to make up more significant proportions of the urban populations than their contribution to urban growth would suggest owing to the importance of "turnover migration." However, this circulation is not a new phenomenon: India and the other countries of south Asia have been characterized by tremendous mobility of population through circulation for considerable time but both its volume, and the distances over which it occurs are likely to increase as these countries develop.^ieng

Recent urban growth in Papua New Guinea.

PIP: Using population estimates from recent censuses and from the 1977-1978 Urban Population Survey, the author examines trends in urban growth in Papua New Guinea. Reasons for the differences between actual and predicted rates of urban growth are investigated^ieng