Back to home pageFALL 1993 - NUMBER 3
93.11.24 - English - Wayne A. CORNELIUS, University of California, San Diego, CA 92131 (U.S.A.), and Philip L. MARTIN, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 (U.S.A.)
The Uncertain Connection: Free Trade and Rural Mexican Migration to the United States (p. 484-512)
Will a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) decrease Mexican migration to the United States, as the US and Mexican governments assert, or increase migration beyond the movement that would otherwise occur, as NAFTA critics allege? This paper argues that it is very easy to overestimate the additional emigration from rural mexico owing to NAFTA-related economic restructuring in Mexico. The available evidence suggests four major reasons why Mexican emigration may not increase massively, despite extensive restructuring and displacement from traditional agriculture. First, many rural dwellers in Mexico already have diversified their sources of income, making them less dependent on income earned from producing agricultural commodities like corn that will be most affected by NAFTA. Second, a free trade zone might induce more US agricultural producers to expand in Mexico during the 1990s, creating additional jobs there, instead of in the United States, as they did in the 1980s. Third, the links between internal migration in Mexico and emigration from Mexico are not as direct as is often assumed; even if economic restructuring increases internal population movements in Mexico, this may not translate into a great deal of international emmigration. Finally, European experience teaches that free trade and economic integration can be phased-in in a manner which does not produce significant emigration, even under a freedom of movement regime. NAFTA-related economic displacements in Mexico may an initial wave of migration to test the US labor market, but this migration should soon diminish if the jobs that these mmigrants week shift to Mexico. (UNTED STATES, MEXICO, LABOUR MOBILITY)
93.11.25 - English - Jacqueline M. HAGAN, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-2162 (U.S.A.), and Susan GONZALEZ BAKER, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (U.S.A.)
Implementing the US Legalization Program: The Influence of Immigrant Communities and Local Agencies on Immigration Policy Reform (p. 513-536)
The legalization program of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act was influenced by the behaviours of three local actors in the implementation process: immigrant communities, community-based organizations, and INS officials. The results of two longitudinal field studies in a Southwestern city suggest that local interpretations of legalization affected program outcomes by expanding the scope of the program beyond the participation rate projected by national policymakers. We also find that legalization leads to social changes within the immigrant comunity - the most important beeing the strengthening of social ties between the home community and the US community. (UNITED STATES, IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION, IMMIGRANTS, SOCIAL CHANGE)
93.11.26 - English - Edward FUNKHOUSER, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 (U.S.A.), and Fernando A. RAMOS, KPMG Peat Marwick
The Choice of Migration Destination: Dominican and Cuban Immigrants to the Mainland United States and Puerto Rico (p. 537-556)
Puerto Rico provides an alternative destination for immigrants from the Spanish-speaking Caribbean because culture is similar to that in the source country. We use the 1980 Census of Population to examine the importance of relative earnings and culture in the choice of destination. The main finding of this paper is the similar pattern of choice of location for immigrants from the Dominican Republic and Cuba. The more educated and more professional immigrants are found in either Puerto Rico or outside the enclave on the mainland. Within this group, those with less time remaining in the labor market and lower English ability are found in Puerto Rico. We find that not all or differences in location decision are attributable to differences in reward structure by location. (UNITED STATES, PUERTO RICO, CUBA, DOMINICAN, IMMIGRANTS, PLACE OF DESTINATION)
93.11.27 - English - Martin BROCKERHOFF, The Population Council, One Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, New York, NY 10017 (U.S.A.), and Hongsook EU, Development Associates
Demographic and Socio-economic Determinants of Female Rural to Urban Migration in Sub-Saharan Africa (p. 557-577)
Data from eight recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) in sub-Saharan Africa are used to assess whether fertility, child mortality and other individual-level characteristics motivate or constraint long-term female migration from rural to urban and other rural areas. Findings indicate that the likelihood of rural-urban and rural-rural migration is lowered in most countries when the woman has had two or more recent births, but not when she has had only one birth. Child mortality experience moderately reduces the risk of migration in most countries. The likelihood of rural-urban migration is greatly increased when the woman has attended school; is not married, is in her twenties, or does not belong to the largest ethnic group. (AFRICA SOUTH OF SAHARA, DEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH SURVEYS, MIGRATION DETERMINANTS, RURAL WOMEN, RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION)
93.11.28 - English - Yuen-Fong WOON, University of Victoria, POB 1700, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2 (Canada)
Circulatory Mobility in Post-Mao China: The Case of Temporary Migrants in Kaiping County, Pearl River Delta Region (p. 578-604)
Since the 1980s, it has been possible for the Chinese peasant household to diversify its economic base by making use of its social networks to place members in a distant community as migrant workers. Through a micro-study of 50 such migrants in Kaiping County, in the Pearl River Delta region, this paper illustrates the interplay between macro, meso, and micro factors in the causes and processes of circulatory mobility in post-Mao China. It is found that Hong Kong's search for cheap labour, the PRC's household registration system, and Kaiping's strong localism provide the context in which migrants and their households have to adjust. The particular behaviour pattern of these migrants also bears the stamp of their rational household decision-making processes as well as their feelings of moral obligation towards their kin in their community of origin. (CHINA, CIRCULAR MIGRATION, MIGRATION DETERMINANTS)
93.11.29 - English - John B. DUNLOP, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (U.S.A.)
Will a Large-Scale Migration of Russians to the Russian Republic Take Place Over the Current Decade? (p. 605-629)
This articles examines the ten non-central Asian republics of the former Soviet Union and seeks to determine the likelihood of a future mass out-migration to Russia from each of these republics and concludes with policy recommendations. (COMMONWEALTH OF INDEPENDANT STATES, RUSSIA, INTERNATIONAL MIGRATON)
WINTER 1993 - NUMBER 4
93.11.30 - English - George J. BORJAS, University of California, San Diego, CA 92093 (U.S.A.), and Marta TIENDA, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 (U.S.A.)
The Employment and Wages of Legalized Immigrants (p. 712-747)
This paper analyzes the employment and wages of recently legalized immigrants using the Legalization Application Processing System (LAPS) file, an administrative file based on the individual records of amnesty applicants, and draws comparisons with a sample of the foreign-born population from the Current Population Surveys of 1983, 1986 and 1988. Compared to the total foreign-born population, the legalized immigrant population differs in four important respects that bear on labor market position: (1) a younger age structure; (2) a less balanced gender composition; (3) a greater representation of Latin Americans; and (4) few years of US residence. LAPS data reveal high rates of labor force participation among legalized immigrants, which exeeded the rates of the foreign-born population by approximately 5 and 17% for men and women, respectively. Legal immigrants earn approximately 30% more than their undocumented counterparts from the same regional origins. National origin alone accounts for about half of the wage gap between legal and undocumented migrants. In addition, the wage disadvantage of undocumented immigrants actually increases with age. Cross-sectional data preclude an unambiguous interpretation of this result, which requires longitudinal data. (UNITED STATES, ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, EMPLOYMENT, WAGES)
93.11.31 - English - Katharine M. DONATO, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803 (U.S.A.)
Current Trends and Patterns of Female Migration: Evidence from Mexico (p. 748-771)
This study uses a new source of data to assess trends and patterns of female migration from Mexico. Data were collected from migrants interviewed in ten Mexican communities during 1987 through 1990, as well as from out-migrants from those communities who later located in the United States. In the first part of the analysis, we examine changes in migrant behaviour throughout the 1980s by estimating trends in the probability of first-time and repeat migration, and assessing the impact of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) on these trends. In general, migration probabilities were lower for women than those reported elsewhere for men, but the evidence suggests that like men, once women begin migrating, they are virtually assured of migrating on a second trip. Results from the departure models in the second half of the paper suggest that recent female migration reflects access to the productive resources in Mexican society and a process of family migration, whereby women migrate after their husbands and fathers legalized as part of IRCA. (MEXICO, UNITED STATES, INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, WOMEN)
93.11.32 - English - Carlos E. SANTIAGO, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222 (U.S.A.)
The Migratory Impact of Minimum Wage Legislation: Puerto Rico, 1970-1987 (p. 772-795)
Minimum wage research has historically focused on labour mobility between covered and uncovered labour markets within a geographic area. This paper examines the impact of minimum wage setting on labour migration. A multiple time series framework is applied to monthly data for Puerto Rico from 1970-1987. The results show that net emigration from Puerto Rico to the United States fell in response to significant changes in the manner in which minimum wage policy was conducted, particularly after 1974. The extent of commuter type labour migration between Puerto Rico and the United States is influenced by minimum wage policy, with potentially important consequences for human capital investment and long-term standards of living. (PUERTO RICO, UNITED STATES, MINIMUM WAGE, LABOUR MIGRATION)
93.11.33 - English - Xiushi YANG, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA 23529 (U.S.A.)
Household Registration, Economic Reform, and Migration (p. 796-818)
This article examines the relationship between the type of household registration and the type of and reasons for migration in China. The results suggest agricultural registration is clearly a deterrent to permanent migration, but it makes no difference with respect to temporary migration. Permanent migrants with agricultural registration predominantly move for noneconomic reasons, but those with nonagricultural registration are more likely motivated by economic reasons. The pattern is reversed in temporary migration. A key to understanding individual migration behaviour is to understand household registration and its function as the intermediary through which the government exercises its control over migation. But what accounts for the new patterns of spatial mobility are the changing market conditions associated with economic reforms. (CHINA, INTERNAL MIGRATION, MIGRATION DETERMINANTS, HOUSEHOLD, ECONOMIC CONDITIONS)
93.11.34 - English - Gordon A. CARMICHAEL, Australian National University, G.P.O. Box 4, Canberra, ACT (Australia)
Beware the Passenger Card! Australian and New Zealand Data on Population Movement between the Two Countries (p. 819-849)
Studies of international migration frequently make use of data collected as part of the administrative procedure through which persons entering or leaving a country by an approved route pass. Such databases often are used quite uncritically. This paper reports on idiosyncrasies of two official national migration databases, most of which became apparent when trying to account for marked differences in their estimates of both migratory and more short-term population movement between the two countries, and for variation over time in the pattern of differences. It is shown that the use of apparently similar broad classification principles, by different countries and through time within a country, can create impressions of comparability and continuity that may be quite misleading. Before using data of this type one should examine carefully how subsidiary classification concepts have been defined, and the manner in which both these and the broader principles have been translated into questions on travel documents and data processing conventions. (AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, DATA COMPARABILITY)
SPRING 1994 - NUMBER 1
93.11.35 - English - Roger WALDINGER, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (U.S.A.)
The Making of an Immigrant Niche (p. 3-30)
Although the dominant paradigm of immigrant employment views immigrants as clustered in a limited number of occupations or industries that comprise a "niche", the explanations of how immigrants enter and establish these "niches" remain incomplete. While most researchers emphasize the importance of social networks, the social network approach begs the issue of how to account for the insertion and consolidation of immigrant networks as opposed to those dominated by incumbent native workers. This article seeks to answer this question through a case study of immigrant professional employees in New York City government. The author argues that the growth of this immigrant niche resulted from changes in the relative supply of native workers and in the structure of employment, which opened the bureaucracy to immigrants and reduced native-immigrant competition. These shifts opened hiring portals; given the advantages of network hiring for workers and managers, and an immigrant propensity for government employment, network recruitment led to a rapid build-up in immigrant ranks. (UNITED STATES, IMMIGRANT WORKERS, RECRUITMENT)
93.11.36 - English - June Marie NOGLE, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853 (U.S.A.)
Internal Migration for Immigrants to Canada (p. 31-48)
Internal migration decision making for recent immigrants may occur under conditions of extreme uncertainty and limited information. Migration behavior may be constrained by language barriers, availability of settlement assistance, and differential levels and access to information about alternative locations and opportunities. Poisson regression models are estimated for the number of internal migrations experienced by immigrants in the first three years of residence in Canada. The results suggest that internal migration in the first year after arrival is strongly effected by characteristics such as admission status, destination at arrival, reason for immigration, and area of origin. With increasing length of residence in Canada though, the effect of these admission factors on internal migration behavior diminishes. (CANADA, IMMIGRANTS, INTERNAL MIGRATION, MIGRATION DETERMINANTS)
93.11.37 - English - Edwin MELENDEZ, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (U.S.A.)
Puerto Rican Migration and Occupational Selectivity, 1982-88 (p. 49-67)
This study examines whether or not the likelihood of Puerto Rican workers choosing to migrate to the United States depends on their occupations or skills. The study determined that the occupational composition among those migrating from the island to the United States generally corresponds to the occupational distribution in Puerto Rico. The exception is that, after controlling for labor market conditions in Puerto Rico and in the United States and for other characteristics of the migrants, farm workers, laborers, and craft and kindred workers are over-represented in the flow of migrants. The two most important factors contributing to the occupational distribution of migrants are whether or not they already have job offers in the United States and whether they are currently employed in Puerto Rico. Among those returning to Puerto Rico, the study found no positive or negative occupational selectivity. (PUERTO RICO, UNITED STATES, EMIGRATION, LABOUR MIGRATION, OCCUPATIONAL COMPOSITION)
93.11.38 - English - Siew-Ean KHOO, Bureau of Immigration Research
Correlates of Welfare Dependency among Immigrants in Australia (p. 68-92)
This paper examines the role of a number of factors, including migration category, birthplace, period of arrival, age, gender, educational background and employment status, in explaining immigrants' dependence on government pensions and benefits. Significant differences in welfare dependency were observed by birthplace and migration category even after controlling for age, education and employment status. Immigrants from Viet Nam, Lebanon and Turkey were more likely than others to be dependent on welfare. Refugees were also more likely than other immigrants to be dependent on welfare; however the effect of refugee status on welfare dependency diminished with duration of residence in Australia. (AUSTRALIA, IMMIGRANTS, INCOME, POVERTY, SOCIAL SECURITY)
93.11.39 - English - Ernst SPAAN, Leiden University, POB 9500, 2300 RA Leiden (Netherlands)
Taikong's and Calo's: The Role of Middlemen and Brokers in Javanese International Migration (p. 93-113)
This paper discusses international migration from Java in past and present and the role brokers have played in stimulating this movement. The paper describes legal and clandestine labor migration to Singapore, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia; the influence of employment brokers on the process and the organization of the recruitment networks. The involvement of brokers is crucial but not always beneficial for the migrants. Migrants are dependent on the brokers and risk exploitation. In the case of movement to Saudi Arabia, there is a linkage with religious institutions and the Islamic pilgrimage. (INDONESIA, EMIGRATION, LABOUR MIGRATION, MIGRATION DETERMINANTS)
93.11.40 - English - Steven GOLD, Whittier College, Whittier, CA 90608 (U.S.A.)
Patterns of Economic Cooperation among Israeli Immigrants in Los Angeles (p. 114-135)
This paper examines economic activities developed among Israeli immigrants in Los Angeles. Previous studies have asserted that little cooperation exists among Israelis in the US. However, our findings, based on participant observation and in-depth interviews with approximately 70 Israeli immigrants and others knowledgeable about Israeli entrepreneurship, suggest that Israelis are involved in a host of collective social and economic endeavors. While Israeli immigrants sometimes collaborate with American Jews and reveal solidarity on a community-wide basis, those sharing commonalities based on pre-migration ties have developed especially active networks. Forms of cooperation among two such groups, Kibbutznicks and Persian-origin Israelis, are discussed here. Israeli immigrants' use of ethnic labor markets are explored as well as the nature of co-ethnic cooperation in various industries - diamonds, real estate/construction and garments. Conclusions suggest that Israeli immigrant cooperation is a complex matter, shaped by national loyalties, subgroup ties and the larger social and economic contexts in which they function. As a result, we see their experience as reflecting a series of interrelated ethnic networks, extending both within and beyond the Israeli immigrant population. This understanding of the ethnic economy contrasts with the image of single nationality ethnic cooperation that has been emphasized in much recent literature. (UNITED STATES, ISRAEL, IMMIGRANT WORKERS, ECONOMY, ETHNIC GROUPS)
93.11.41 - English - Franklin GOZA, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH 43403 (U.S.A.)
Brazilian Immigration to North America (p. 136-152)
This paper is a comparative study of Brazilian immigration to Canada and the United States. Analysis of recently collected data, in Toronto, Ontario, as well as a medium sized US community permit this study to examine the adaptation and adjustment experiences of a new group of immigrants to North America. This article begins with a discussion of the origins of this recent immigrant group, and its rapid expansion. Next, this study focuses on the labor force activities of Brazilian immigrants and compares and contrasts their experiences in the US and Canada. A final section examines social adaptation in North America by exploring linguistic and cultural dimensions. This paper closes with a section on the future aspirations of these immigrants. (CANADA, UNITED STATES, BRAZIL, MIGRANT WORKERS, ADJUSMENT)
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