Causes and Consequences of Migration

Examples / by admin / June 11, 2022

It speaks of migration to refer to the permanent displacement of stocks human (or animals, when the term is used in biology) from one geographic region to another, whether within the territory of one country, from one country to another, or over much greater distances. Migrations can occur in different contexts and according to different logics, but they have been a recurring phenomenon in the history of humanity since time immemorial.

Generally, two types of migration are distinguished, depending on where the movement of people takes place:

emigrations. When migrants leave their country and look for a new one. From the point of view of the country of departure, the migrants leave and the population decreases.
Immigrations. When it comes to foreign migrants arriving in their own country. From the point of view of the host country, migrants arrive and the population increases.

Naturally, emigration and immigration are distinguished by the point of view adopted, since every emigrant is always an immigrant in another country. migrations are a

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sociological phenomenon and cultural of great importance, which continuously modifies the human panorama in the different nations and allows a greater degree of mixing and cultural contact.

See also: Migrant, emigrant or immigrant

Causes of migration

The reasons that push a group of people to leave their place of origin and promote a new one can be summarized as:

Wars and armed conflicts. War and the devastation caused by human beings in their quest for conquest have been, since the beginning of time, one of the main reasons for migrating. In the old days, the victors in a conflict captured the citizens of the defeated nation and kidnapped them for use as slave labor or assimilation into their own culture. Today it is more common for survivors to flee war and the instability caused by armed conflicts to more peaceful and stable regions, where they can prosper and do not run danger. These types of migrants are often referred to as “refugees” or “displaced persons”.
A clear example of this situation is represented by the displaced Colombians who, during 40 years of civil war, left their country for neighboring countries such as Venezuela, Peru or Ecuador. Or, an even more recent case, the Syrian refugees who, after the destruction of their country, now flood the European populations trying to flee misery.
natural cataclysms. The disasters caused by nature can also force people to migrate, when they are catastrophic and permanent. Thus, it is normal for a population to resist the passage of a hurricane, but when dealing with a volcano eruption, rising sea levels, or desertification of formerly fertile soils, choose instead to flee to more habitable regions. This type of migrant has increased considerably in the 21st century, and there is already talk of "climate refugees", since they escape the local effects of climate change and global warming.
An example of the latter can already be seen in the nation of Bangladesh, in Asia, where hundreds of thousands of citizens of the Rohingya ethnic group They have had to emigrate to the capital of the country, because the flooding of the rivers in their land permanently stripped them of inhabitable land.
Major socioeconomic crises. When a population loses hope in the economic system of their country or the living conditions become unbearable, it is normal that they point to other more benevolent destinations in search of opportunities. This is one of the main reasons for migration in the contemporary world, and those who flee their country for these reasons are often called “economic migrants”. A recent example of this phenomenon is the Venezuelan case: the socioeconomic crisis in this oil country has been so severe from 2014 to 2020, that 10% of its population has emigrated in just six years to numerous international destinations.
Political or religious persecution. Many migrants escape from a situation in which their lives are in danger, because they are part of a minority persecuted by ethnic, religious or political reasons, and if they remain in their land they could be imprisoned, executed or subjected to treatment cruel. These types of migrants are known as “refugees” or “exiles”.
An example of this type of migration was the Cuban dissidence that was forced to leave this Caribbean island after the establishment of the dictatorship of Fidel Castro. The first to undertake the exodus were the political enemies of the regime, and later members of threatened minorities such as homosexual citizens or dissident artists.
Work, cultural or affective opportunities. There are also people who migrate for less dramatic reasons, such as job opportunities. worked abroad, interests in other countries and other cultures, or because they have decided to go with their partner to their country of origin. And in these cases we usually speak of “voluntary migrants” or “expatriates”.
An example of this last type of migration is those who do postgraduate studies abroad and start a new life there, without returning to their country.

Consequences of migration

Like its causes, the consequences of human migration can be of different types and are summarized in:

Demographic changes in both countries or regions. The proportion of people changes, after a migratory phenomenon, both in the country of origin of the migrants (which loses population) and in the country of destination (which gains it). This can bring, in turn, other types of consequences in both countries, such as the decrease or growth of the available workforce, for example.
An example of this is the gradual growth of the population of Latin American origin in the United States: 31.7 million people, 11.7% of the total US population. This minority is so significant that their vote is now important in US campaigns, especially in southern states like Florida.
Miscegenation and greater cultural variety. Migrations are an inexhaustible source of genetic, ethnic and cultural wealth, since migrants carry their religion, its gastronomy, its way of doing things, etc. And although they are forced to adapt to the cultural context of the country that receives them, they in turn bring new points of view and new practices. Many of the richest and most interesting cultures in the world are the result of intense migratory phenomena and cultural hybridization.
A good example of this is the famous Peruvian fusion food, in which Asian elements (Chinese mostly) have been integrated into the complex Andean palate, achieving one of the most interesting cuisines in the world.
Economic changes in the region. The arrival of migrants in a country has a rapid impact on the economy, as it introduces more available (albeit often desperate) labor, increases the demand of consumer goods, increases the demand for basic services (health, education, etc.) and all this provides new opportunities and new problems for the locals at the same time. In turn, the country that loses its migrant population sees its labor force and its opportunities, and that often means losing professionals in whose training time was invested, money and effort.
An example is the massive arrival of African migrants in Europe, who cross the Mediterranean in precarious conditions. Therefore, upon their arrival they require a lot of economic, health and social help. But, at the same time, these citizens carry out the fundamental itinerant agricultural work for the maintenance of European agriculture, so that without them the economy would be much worse in the short term term.
political repercussions. Migrations and their effects on the country of destination often have a strong repercussion on politics, since the massive arrival of migrants alters the labor, social and economic balance. and economic situation of the country of destination, and this usually arouses xenophobic and extremist reactions in the most conservative sectors or in those who see their stability threatened. Thus, new measures to tighten immigration laws, social conflicts between migrants and locals, etc. can be seen.
The best example of this phenomenon was represented by the government of Donald Trump in the United States (2017-2021), whose policies toughened migration controls and even proposed building a wall to prevent the entry of illegal migrants from Mexico.

References:

"Migration" in Wikipedia.
"Human migration" in Wikipedia.
“Exploring the causes of migration: why do people migrate?” in News from the European Parliament (EU).
“Human migration: consequence of wars, disasters and, now, the climate” in National Geographic.

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