bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
From the Life Stories of Filipino Women: Personal and Family Agendas in Migration
Authors: Asis Maruja M.B.
Published: January 2015

Drawing from the life stories of 10 women migrants who had returned from working abroad, this article examines the individual-family nexus in terms of migration decision-making processes, how women and their families cope as transnational families, and how women migrants themselves view and assess their migration experience. The life stories indicate the significance of women's agency in initiating and carrying out their decisions, with support from their families. It should be noted though that although most of them decided to work abroad for the sake of their families, women also sought and attained personal benefits from migration. Among other purposes, the use of life stories provides a window to appreciate the internal changes that women attribute to their migration experiences.
Foreign Domestic Workers in Kuwait: Who Employs How Many
Authors: Shah Nasra M. , Shah Makhdoom A. , Chowdhury Rafiqul Islam , Menon Indu
Published: January 2015

The percentage of Kuwaiti households with at least one foreign domestic worker increased from 13 percent in 1977/79 to 87 percent in 1999. This paper describes the workers' characteristics, their workload and attributes of the households they live in. Predictors of the number of domestic workers employed by households are examined by using multinomial logistic regression. Households that employ at least one domestic worker have a larger number of children than those who employ none. Households that employ two (or three) domestic workers have more children and older people and are significantly richer (i.e., have higher income, larger homes etc.) than those who do not employ any.
Visible Bodies, Invisible Work: State Practices toward Migrant Women Domestic Workers in Malaysia
Authors: Chin Christine B.N.
Published: January 2015

The changing characteristics of labor migration in Asia today elicit an important question regarding the nature and consequences of state involvement in the entry and employment of low wage migrant workers. This paper offers an analysis of the labor-receiving state's practices toward migrant women domestic workers in Malaysia. I ascertain that the exercise of a particular kind of state power as evinced from policies and legislation, consistently make visible migrant womens' presence in society even as their labor in households is rendered invisible. A key consequence of this is the fragmentation of public support for migrant workers, and the contraction of what can be considered legitimate space for Malaysian NGO advocacy on migrant labor rights. To counteract this, some NGOs have adopted alternative strategies and targets that begin to reveal the possibility for constructing alternative forms of governance.
Gender, Migration and Civil Activism in South Korea
Authors: Lee Hye-Kyung
Published: January 2015

Since the late 1980s, Korea has experienced an influx of migrant workers from neighboring Asian countries. The total number of migrant workers in 1990 was less than 20,000, but rose to 340,000 in 2002. International migration in South Korea shows less extensive feminization than in comparable receiving countries in East Asia. This paper examines why female migration, which accounts for only 30–35 percent of all migrant workers, is less extensive in South Korea, and why domestic work, the major occupation which has accelerated female migration in the region, is not popular in South Korea. It also assesses the current state of migrant and civil society movements providing assistance to migrant women in South Korea. Although the number of these NGOs is small, their activities have highlighted the problems and issues in international marriages and the entry of foreign female entertainers in the sex industry. The paper argues that civil movements for migrant women have contributed to reconsiderations of notions of nationality and citizenship in Korea.
Information, Exploitation and Empowerment: The Case of Indonesian Overseas Workers
Authors: Hugo Graeme
Published: January 2015

The central significance of information in migration decision-making has long been recognized but its role in influencing international labor migration, one of the fastest growing types of international population movement, has been little examined. The paper takes the Indonesian case to demonstrate that in such migration the information available to potential migrants is limited and often distorted, which partly explains why many migrants encounter problems. It is argued that the timely provision of comprehensive, relevant and accurate information can better enable migrants to make decisions about migration which are likely to be in their own interests and it also can empower migrants to deal more effectively with exploitation.
Financial Self-Help Associations among Far West Nepalese Labor Migrants in Delhi, India
Authors: Thieme Susan , Müller-Böker Ulrike
Published: January 2015

Labor migration to India is the most important source of income for people in Far West Nepal. To better understand the effects of labor migration, a research analyzing why and how migrants invest their money in financial self-help organizations was undertaken. Fieldwork was conducted in the communities of origin in Nepal and migrant communities in India. Based on the study, the paper provides an overview of the existing financial self-help associations, their strengths and weaknesses, accessibility and possibilities of benefits and losses for the migrants and their families. The major conclusion is that migration helps to improve income or security but can also undermine a household's financial situation by perpetuating debt and dependency.
State, Civil Society and International Norms: Expanding the Political and Labor Rights of Foreigners in South Korea
Authors: Kim Joon K.
Published: January 2015

This paper examines the dynamic role of the state, civil society groups and international conventions in expanding the rights of foreigners in South Korea. While recent scholarship on international migration reflects a growing gap between post-national and state-centered theories, the South Korean case illustrates the dynamic interplay of actors involved in major policy developments concerning interethnic marriages, citizenship, and the temporary foreign worker program. Although the challenges of adopting additional UN and ILO Conventions remain, the passage of the Nationality Act and the Employment Permit System reflects a steady expansion of political and labor rights for foreigners. The increasing number of foreigners marrying Koreans and the strong prospect of long-term dependence on foreign workers accentuate even more the significance of these changes. This paper shows that the expansion of foreigner rights depends on the liberal position of the state, the organizational strength of NGOs, and the system of checks-and-balances structurally embedded in the way the state parties and NGOs cooperate in implementing international instruments.
New Zealand's Changing Attitudes towards Asian Immigration, 1999–2004
Authors: Liu Liangni
Published: January 2015

This study surveys and analyzes articles related to Asian immigration and immigrants published in two leading New Zealand publications, the Listener and the National Business Review (NBR), during the period of 1999–2004. It found that articles in both publications reflected changing attitudes of the public towards Asian immigration and immigrants. The NBR is supportive of Asian immigration because it believes that the financial and human capital brought in by Asian immigrants are important to the nation's economy. The Listener is more cautious because it is more concerned about the societal impacts caused by the Asian immigrant influx. However, the Listener is sympathetic towards refugees, accepting the economic and social strain they may bring while the NBR strongly opposes the admission of refugees because they may become an economic burden to New Zealand.
The Power of the Displaced
Authors: Canuday Jose Jowel
Published: January 2015

This essay makes a case against representations of internally displaced persons as helpless victims or mere survivors of wars without denying their horrendous experience of being caught in armed conflicts. In recognizing human agency, I examined the persistence and creativity of the displaced in dealing with 35 years of on and off displacement in Central Mindanao. The displaced produced new relations in and beyond their respective communities, including negotiating and collaborating with government, military and rebels during the time when humanitarian organizations were not present in conflict areas. In dealing with displacement, displaced persons continuously reordered their lives and social relations, ushering in new socio-political arrangements that enabled them to evacuate, return and rebuild their communities. Their actions in transforming difficult conditions to new realities can be viewed as the power of the displaced.
Sex Work in Cambodia: Beyond the Voluntary/Forced Dichotomy
Authors: Sandy Larissa
Published: January 2015

This paper looks at the dominant voluntary/forced dichotomy shaping understandings of sex work internationally. It argues that the distinction between forced and voluntary participation in sex work cannot account for or help explain the multiple and contradictory subjectivities some women embrace and the constrained agency they exhibit in sex work. Based on ethnographic research and interviews with sex workers in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, this paper shows how elements of individual choice and coercion are intricately intertwined in women's experiences.
Emergence of Entrepreneurship among Filipino Migrants in Paris
Authors: Fresnoza-Flot Asuncion , Pécoud Antoine
Published: January 2015

This article documents the emergence of self-employment among Filipino migrants in Paris, a pattern of economic incorporation that departs from the predominance of Filipinos in the domestic work sector in Western Europe. After presenting the characteristics of Filipino migration to France, the article describes the embeddedness of Filipino entrepreneurship in different kinds of networks that structure the Filipino population. Findings suggest that Filipino entrepreneurship is part of overlapping networks based not only upon national origin, but also on regional belongings, class, religion and sexual orientation. Conflicts often characterize the relationship between these networks. Other than relying on Filipino networks, success in self-employment also requires strong ties to other groups, as well as transnational connections. Factors affecting the future prospects of self-employment are also discussed.
Fertility Behaviors of Rural-to-Urban Migrants in China
Authors: Guo Fei
Published: January 2015

This study deals with the fertility behaviors of migrants in China. Based on fieldwork carried out in migrants' current community in Beijing and their home villages in Henan province, the study examined how culture and practices shaped in their home villages and urban influences bear on migrants' fertility behaviors. Findings from the study confirm the results of previous quantitative studies. Under current social conditions in China, it is unrealistic to expect any drastic changes in migrants' fertility patterns. The factors that brought down the fertility of urban residents, such as old-age pension and opportunities for social mobility, are not available to migrants. Overall, migration per se has no significant impact on migrants' fertility behaviors.
The Road Less Taken: The Settlement of Chinese Immigrants in Small Towns
Authors: Leung Ho Hon
Published: January 2015

The purpose of this paper is to study the settlement process of Chinese immigrants in small towns in the United States. The process includes three stages: initial settlement, adaptation, and permanent settlement. The analytical framework used to analyze these immigrants' experience is based on the concept of “familial-to-familiar.” Using a qualitative approach, findings from the study suggest that family ties are one of the main reasons why Chinese immigrants choose to move to small towns. Regardless of how long they have lived in these towns, many interviewees do not feel that they are permanently settled until certain conditions are met: career development, purchase of a house and family reunification. The settlement process also varies by gender and socio-economic background.
Transforming Transnationalism: Second Generation Tongans Overseas
Authors: Lee Helen
Published: January 2015

Since the 1960s Tongans have developed extensive transnational ties between the homeland and the overseas populations, including remittances that for many years have bolstered Tonga's economy. This paper examines how these ties have been transformed over time, and focuses on the question of whether the children of Tongan migrants are likely to sustain such ties in the future. Drawing on data collected from ‘second generation’ Tongans in Australia, the paper explores their attitudes towards transnational practices and the extent to which they maintain connections with their parents' homeland. I argue that although Tonga's need for support from the diaspora is growing, migrants' children are unlikely to sustain the current level of remittances. Without an ongoing flow of new migrants, transnational ties are likely to weaken and levels of remittances will suffer a significant decline, with potentially devastating consequences for Tonga.
“Our Nepali Work is Very Good”: Nepali Domestic Workers as Transnational Subjects
Authors: O'Neill Tom
Published: January 2015

This paper explores the experiences of several young Nepali women who spent time in the Persian Gulf as transnational domestic workers, and argues that migration served to increase their sense of autonomy and agency. In it, I question the conflation of transnational domestic work with the trafficking of prostitutes into India, which figured in governmental protective measures until 2003, or during the time when these young women worked abroad. This conflation did considerable violence to the autonomy of working women, undervalued their growing importance for the sustainability of households in Nepal, and led to policies that excluded women from participating in Nepal's increasingly important remittance economy. The young women described in this paper crossed borders in active, covert rejection of those rules of exclusion in order to become responsible individuals meeting the needs of their families, not as trafficked women nor as passive victims of social and economic change.
‘Astronaut’ Wives: Perceptions of Changes in Family Roles
Authors: Chang Man Wai , Darlington Yvonne
Published: January 2015

This paper examines the family relationships of five ‘astronaut’ wives from Hong Kong following their migration to Brisbane, Australia. We focused specifically on the women's experiences of spousal and parental relationships, along with changes in their roles and responsibilities that have accompanied their emigration with their children while their husbands remained in Hong Kong. There are two major observations from their accounts. The first is an apparent paradox in that while the women appear to have embraced a more modern lifestyle — living separately from their husbands and taking on greater day-to-day decision-making responsibilities — they have assumed more traditional roles. They have full responsibility for child rearing and they are totally financially dependent on their husbands. The second observation is that the women's migration experiences differed according to their perceptions of the nature and quality of spousal relationship. Thus, while these women appear to be in similar circumstances, a closer examination of their lived experiences revealed significant differences.
Health-Related Quality of Life of Laotian Migrant Workers in Thailand
Authors: Nilvarangkul Kessarawan , McCann Terence V. , Rungreangkulkij Somporn , Wongprom Jaranya
Published: January 2015

The aim of this paper is to explore how migrant workers from the Lao People's Democratic Republic conceptualized their health-related quality of life while they worked and lived in Thailand. Seventy workers took part in the study. Data collected from participant observation and in-depth interviews were examined using content analysis. The findings showed that nearly all the workers perceived health-related quality of life as a state of general well-being expressed in the vernacular as u suk sabai. Living, social and employment conditions exerted variable effects on their perceptions of health-related quality of life.
India
Authors: Rajan S. Irudaya , Prabha G. Remya
Published: January 2015

Data collection on immigration and emigration in India is carried out by various government agencies. The Office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner and the National Sample Survey Organization collect data on immigration whereas the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs collect data on emigration. The Reserve Bank of India is the main source of data on remittance returns. Data on emigration need to collect more information on the destination, purpose of emigration, sex, states of origin, age and educational profile of migrants. Coordination among ministries dealing with international migration and cooperation with academic institutions and non-government agencies are recommended.
Singapore
Authors: Yap Mui Teng
Published: January 2015

International migration has been part of Singapore since its foundation as a nation. Immigrants to Singapore include work pass holders, students, accompanying family members and permanent residents. Unlike immigrants, emigrants from Singapore are not obliged to apply for passes to exit the country, except for servicemen. The census collects data on foreigners in Singapore, while information on Singapore emigrants started to be collected in the 1990 census. The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the Ministry of Manpower are the main sources of data on international migration, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore is the primary source of data on remittances. The main issue in Singapore is access to data produced by government agencies.
The Impact of Circular Migration and Remittances on Relative Household Wealth in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand
Authors: Ford Kathleen , Jampaklay Aree , Chamratrithirong Aphichat
Published: January 2015

The objective of this study was to examine the impact of circular migration and remittances on relative household wealth using data from a longitudinal study conducted in the economically heterogenous Kanchanaburi province of Thailand. We estimated models of the effects of number of return migrants and remittances on four types of household assets in 2004, controlling for assets in 2000, household and village characteristics. Propensity weights were used to adjust for selection into migration and remittance categories. In general, the migration and remittance variables did not have strong effects on household assets in 2004. The strongest predictors of household assets in 2004 were household assets in 2000. Household characteristics such as education of members and members in non-agricultural activities also contributed to household assets. Village characteristics made only minor contributions.
Development and Migration or Migration and Development: What Comes First?
Authors: Castles Stephen
Published: January 2015

Socio-economic change and human mobility are constantly interactive processes, so to ask whether migration or development comes first is nonsensical. Yet in both popular and political discourse it has become the conventional wisdom to argue that promoting economic development in the Global South has the potential to reduce migration to the North. This carries the clear implication that such migration is a ‘bad thing,’ and that poor people should stay put. In other words, the idea is that encouraging international migration now may help create conditions conducive to eliminating – or at least reducing – it in the future. This belief in the positive consequences of migration for development represents a reversal of dominant views prior to the 1990s, according to which migration represented a loss of labor and human capital likely to hold back development of origin countries. This article explores the processes and reasoning behind changing views on migration and development in the European Union and Asia, arguing that social-scientific and political discourses are often closely linked, and that this can have negative consequences both for the advancement of knowledge and for policy development. The article proposes an alternative view of human mobility as a normal part of social transformation processes. Migrating in search of better opportunities and greater human security is a way in which people can exercise agency to improve their livelihoods. Embedding migration studies in an analysis of contemporary social transformation processes can help overcome the frequent separation between migration research and mainstream social theory, and may contribute to improved international cooperation in the migration field.
Irregular Emigration from Fuzhou: A Rural Perspective
Authors: Lin Sheng , Bax Trent
Published: January 2015

Fuzhou is a major sending region of irregular migrants from China. Drawing on qualitative data gathered in emigrant sending communities from the Fuzhou region of Fujian Province in southeast China, this paper captures the main institutional elements involved in understanding irregular emigrants' behavior. By comparing rural and urban societies, several issues related to irregular migration were identified, notably, China's dual social structure; its morality-led rural society; the dominance of the filial bond within the rural Chinese family; and the effective communication exchange system in rural Chinese society. We argue that the characteristics of China's rural social structure are important contributing factors to producing and perpetuating irregular migration from Fuzhou.
Remittances as a Social Process: The Singapore-Bangladesh Remittance Corridor
Authors: Rahman Md Mizanur
Published: January 2015

This study argues that research linking the contexts of remittance-sending with remittance-receiving is far more capable of capturing the complexity of remittances and its development dynamics. Focusing on the Singapore-Bangladesh remittance corridor, this study examines remittances in relation to remittance sending, receipt, use and control, and finally their potential for development. The findings suggest that recruitment fees, sources of arrangement of fees, earnings and savings affect the amount and frequency of remittances on the sending side. The study documents male domination in remittance receiving and attributes this to generational patterns of transfer–from sons to fathers or elder brothers. The recipients of remittances enjoy more privileges in the management of remittances. Remittances are invested in both physical and human capital formation and they help migrant workers and their families advance on the road to improved life chances.
Governmental Policy and Social Exclusion of Rural Migrants in Urban China
Authors: Ying Li , Chui Ernest
Published: January 2015

Based on a review of government policy documents and research literature, this paper provides an account of the evolution of government policies in China since 2000. The state of China has selectively provided some inclusive policies for rural-urban migrants but denied them formal membership and offered them only partial social entitlements in the host city. The implementation of a some social policies for rural migrants has largely been ineffective. Further efforts need to be made to enhance the inclusion of rural migrants in China's urban areas.
Immigration, Multiculturalism and Geography: Inter-Group Contact and Attitudes to Immigrants and Cultural Diversity in New Zealand
Authors: Johnston Ron , Gendall Phillip , Trlin Andrew , Spoonley Paul
Published: January 2015

Changes in the sources of immigrants have generated a major alteration to the ethnic composition of New Zealand society and encouraged policy shifts towards a multicultural society. These changes have stimulated considerable resistance, however, with many New Zealanders believing there are too many immigrants in the country, especially from Asia and the Pacific Islands–although such anti-immigrant attitudes were believed to be stronger among those with less contact with the evolving multicultural society. A survey of attitudes to immigration and multiculturalism was used to test this argument. It found variations in line with contact theory: Auckland residents in particular were more likely to have extensive contacts with immigrants and less opposed to immigration and multiculturalism. Given New Zealand's continued need for skilled immigrants, this raises important policy issues regarding the promotion of a multicultural society.
Immigration Trends and Policy Changes in Taiwan
Authors: Wang Hong-Zen
Published: January 2015

This paper discusses the historical development of Taiwan's immigration policy since 1949, the demographic changes in the past two decades that shaped it, and its impact on female marriage migrants and migrant workers. Taiwan's current immigration policy is based on three ideologies: the patriarchal jus sanguinis principle, population quality, and national security. The result is a contradictory policy for marriage and labor migration. As regards the former, many Taiwanese men try to find wives from overseas, on the one hand, while the government strictly controls the entry of ‘low quality’ women from China and Southeast Asia, on the other. In the same manner, the policy allows high-skilled labor to move freely in and out of Taiwan, while it restricts the stay of blue-collar migrant workers and excludes Chinese nationals from working in Taiwan due to national security reasons. The paper also explores the possible impact of China's rising political economy on Taiwan's future policies, particularly on Taiwan's jus sanguinis immigration ideology.
Freelancing in the Kingdom: Filipino Migrant Domestic Workers Crafting Agency in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Johnson Mark
Published: January 2015

This paper examines how Muslim Filipino domestic workers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia creatively assert agency and solicit recognition despite their precarious position in that country. One way that they do so is by leaving their legal employers to go ‘freelance,’ selling their labor to the highest bidder and living as best they can as irregular migrants in that country. The capacity to act in that way is enabled by the high demand for domestic labor and the wider network of relations among compatriot and kin who provide them with assistance. While effectively drawing on those social networks, migrant domestic workers, nonetheless, continue to bear the cost of a stigmatized social position among their co-nationals.
Constructing Scales and Renegotiating Identities: Women Marriage Migrants in South Korea
Authors: Jung Hyunjoo
Published: January 2015

This paper explores the politics of scale of women marriage migrants in a rural village in South Korea with particular focus on their agency. Drawing on a qualitative case study, I show the way these women deal with multilayered discriminations and negotiate their intersecting identities in and through daily spaces and scales. The study finds that they challenge the imposed identities, which are poor, sexualized and passive, by constructing scales of referencing, recognition and resistance. This includes constructing transnational social fields of alternative ethnic communities, the home as a safe space and the body as a site of resistance and self-imagination. This research is grounded on the agency-focused migration literature and the feminist approach to the micro-spatial politics in an intra-Asian context.
Scattered but Connected: Karen Refugees' Networking in and beyond the Thailand-Burma Borderland
Authors: Lee Sang Kook
Published: January 2015

The cross-border movements of Karen people in search of asylum have been taking place sporadically in the Thailand-Burma borderland since the late 1940s. Unlike the focus of most existing literature on the refugees inside a particular refugee camp, this paper examines how refugee camps are connected, the key roles played by a central camp and a nearby town in linking the refugee camps, and how linkages extend to both sides of the Thailand-Burma borderland. Findings from the study reveal that although the Karen live a precarious life in refugee camps, they devise and maintain connections with refugees in other camps, and with people beyond the boundaries of refugee camps. This study suggests that being a refugee does not necessarily connote spatial incarceration. Paying attention to the mobility of refugees gives a better understanding of their lives.
“Reverse Marriage Migration”: A Case Study of Japanese Brides in Bali
Authors: Toyota Mika , Thang Leng Leng
Published: January 2015

Most of the existing literature on international marriage in Asia focuses on Southeast Asian brides marrying into East Asian families, particularly those in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. Our study examines a “reverse” case, that is, Japanese women marrying Southeast Asian males and settling with their husband's families in Southeast Asia. Primarily based on qualitative data from in-depth interviews in Bali (Indonesia) in 2010, this article explains why and how reverse marriage migration takes place from the Japanese wives' point of view. Unlike the “usual” marriage migration that is often purposely and even commercially brokered, reverse marriage migration typically resulted from the Japanese women's self-discovery journeys, which were in turn driven by various structural conditions in Japanese society. After marriage, the women desired to be integrated in the local community and were committed to the extended family norm. The article concludes that reverse marriage migration is a unique aspect of the grassroots transnational relationship between Japan and Southeast Asian societies.
Environment-Related Resettlement in China: A Case Study of the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture in Sichuan Province
Authors: Tan Yan , Zuo Alec , Hugo Graeme
Published: January 2015

Environment-related migration in China is shaped by a complex set of factors and their interactions. The central question addressed in this study is: how does economic well-being at the household level change after displacement and what shapes it? Based on a survey of households displaced in the Ganzi Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province between 2004 and 2009, the study demonstrates that livelihood reconstruction is influenced by a mixture of household, institutional and community contextual factors. Government-led resettlement could be an effective approach to diversifying livelihood and building the future resilience of households to rural poverty and environmental change. The study contributes to the discussion on economic outcomes of resettlement due to environmental change, which can assist in suggesting how to improve the economic well-being of the recently resettled populations. Further resettlement action and policy measures need to be adjusted based on a more comprehensive understanding of the variety of factors that affect people's overall well-being to develop better ways to ensure improved livelihoods and long-term well-being of the displaced.
Chinese Newcomers in Japan: Migration Trends, Profiles and the Impact of the 2011 Earthquake
Authors: Liu-Farrer Gracia
Published: January 2015

Since the late-1970s, millions of Chinese have arrived in Japan as students, workers, family members, long-term residents, and undocumented migrant workers. Hundreds of thousands of them have chosen to settle in this country. This paper introduces the major patterns of contemporary migration from China to Japan and describes some characteristics of Chinese migrants, highlighting the transnationality of their socioeconomic practices and settlement orientation. It also discusses the impact of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake on the Chinese community, pointing out that migration decision-making takes into account a complex set of contextual factors. Natural disasters might only be a small part of the causal reasons or a catalyst at best. On the other hand, the shared disaster experience might be an opportunity for migrants to participate in societal building and cultivate a sense of belonging.
New Zealand's Marketplace Multiculturalism: Justifying a New Approach to Citizenship
Authors: Lowe John
Published: January 2015

In light of biculturalism's place in New Zealand's history, any attempts to establish a state-sponsored project of multiculturalism have always been treated with suspicion and controversy. This article provides a contemporary understanding of the conceptual ambiguities found in the country's configuration of multiculturalism that governs cultural diversity through the market. As a prelude to establishing the need for a new citizenship research agenda through cosmopolitanism developed in consultation with Maori, it is argued that the strictures of New Zealand's unofficial policy of commercial multiculturalism need to be transcended before Asians and other non-European migrants to the country can contribute successfully.
Alcohol Use among Very Early Adolescents in Vietnam: What Difference Does Parental Migration Make?
Authors: Jordan Lucy P. , Graham Elspeth , Vinh Nguyen Duc
Published: January 2015

Little is known about the patterns of alcohol use among adolescents and the transmission of alcohol use behaviors from parents to children, including the passage into responsible and problem drinking, in the developing world. The following paper uses primary data from the Child Health and Migrant Parents in South-East Asia (CHAMPSEA) Project for older children aged 9, 10 and 11 to examine the prevalence (16.2 percent) and correlates of alcohol use initiation including parental migration status, caregiving arrangements and exposure to environmental alcohol use (family and friends) in Vietnam. Contrary to expectations, there is no observed migrant ‘deficit.’ There is some indication that early adolescents in the care of their grandparents are less likely to have a history of experimentation with alcohol use, although it is fully attenuated after controlling for other factors. Peer use is the most powerful explanatory measure of early adolescent drinking, with early adolescents more than five times as likely to have ever drunk alcohol if their friends drink also, and as expected, there is a strong child gender difference with girls much less likely to have a history of alcohol use.
Brain Circulation of South Korean Students in Japan and China
Authors: Yoon In-Jin , Rha Kyung-Soo , Jongtae Kim , Hwang Jongtae Kim
Published: January 2015

This article is based on an empirical comparative analysis of South Koreans studying at institutions of higher education in Japan and China. Focusing on the phenomenon of ‘regionalization of higher education,’ the study examines South Korean students' mobility within Asia and the transferability of human capital. Data for this study came from a larger survey of Asian students who were enrolled as international students in South Korea, Japan and China. The survey was conducted between October 2012 and April 2013. Of the 1,036 students who participated in the survey, this study draws on data from 135 Korean students in Japan and 188 Korean students in China. Findings on students' future career plans reveal that 40–50 percent of Korean students plan to return home five years after studying abroad and about 20 percent plan to migrate to a third country. Considering these statistics, the mobility of Korean students within Asia is closer to brain circulation than brain drain or brain gain. Also, many Korean students believe that their education from the home country is transferable in the host country, and that their education abroad is recognized both in their home as well as in a third county.
Resorting to Plan J: Popular Perceptions of Singaporean Retirement Migration to Johor, Malaysia
Authors: Ormond Meghann
Published: January 2015

This exploratory study analyzes user-generated web content in Singapore and Malaysia to examine how the management of Singapore's rapidly aging population within the emerging cross-border metropolitan space of Singapore and the Southern Malaysian state of Johor is perceived and framed by different social actors. It reveals a range of perspectives on the growing numbers of Singapore seniors and their families beginning to consider Johor as a post-retirement alternative to an over-priced and overcrowded Singapore to satisfy their needs and desires for more affordable medical and residential care, larger homes and greater independence.
Knocking at the Door: Asian Immigration to Australia
Authors: Hugo Graeme
Published: January 2015

This paper assesses the level and composition of contemporary Asian immigration to Australia and explores its processes and impacts. The final reversal of the White Australia Policy in the 1970s opened the door to substantial increases in Asian immigration, particularly from Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, India and Hong Kong. Most migrants are entering through the family reunion, refugee and business migration categories. Vietnamese dominate both family reunion and refugee categories, but the recent prominence among family migrants of Filipino wives and fiancees of Australian men is drawing attention and controversy. Asian migrants tend to be young and female, but there are also great variations in their economic and social adaptations to Australia. Discrimination, exploitation and unemployment are among the problems faced by some Asian groups.
Migration in India: A Review
Authors: Singh J.P.
Published: January 2015

Migration in India has received increased scholarly attention in the past forty years, assisted by additional categories of data collected through the National Census. Considering the volume of both internal and international migration, the Indian population is relatively immobile. Most movements occur locally; 60 percent of internal migration is rural-rural on an intra-district level, consisting primarily of women moving with their husbands after marriage. Next in importance is the rural-urban migration of males seeking economic gain. The few studies done on migrants' characteristics show migration to be highly selective of age, sex, marital status, education, occupation and caste. The specific role of poverty in causing migration is still under debate. Key areas for further research include a greater focus on immobility; the social and demographic consequences of migration on sending and receiving communities; and the social, economic and demographic behavior of the migrants.
International Manpower Flows in Asia: An Overview
Authors: Stahl Charles W. , Appleyard Reginald T.
Published: January 2015

Significant differentials in demographic and economic variables shape the nature, extent and direction of economic migration within the diverse Asian region. The Middle East and North Africa have been prime destinations for temporary labor from Asia. However, intra-Asian migration is increasing, characterized by movement of labor from countries at earlier stages of demographic and economic transition to the rapidly growing economies of the region. This article presents a country-by-country overview of historical, economic and sociodemographic variables; statistical data and assessments of the nature and impact of migration; and future trends. Regions covered include: 1) South Asia and the Indian Ocean Islands, 2) Southeast Asia, 3) Northeast Asia.
White-Collar Foreign Workers in Taiwan
Authors: Kanjanapan Wilawan
Published: January 2015

This paper discusses capital-assisted and non-capital-assisted migration to Taiwan. Despite a yearly average of US$915 million in direct foreign investment (DFI) in Taiwan in the 1980s, the number of professional transient migrants in Taiwan is not large, totaling only 960 persons in 1988. As sources of both DFI and capital-assisted migration, Japan ranked highest, followed by the United States and Europe. Foreign professionals sent by transnational corporations are likely to be found in capital and technology intensive industries, as well as trade and the services. Among non-capital-assisted migrants, American English teachers are highlighted with results of a case study on their characteristics, work experience and adjustment.
Illegal Immigration to Hong Kong
Authors: Wu Chung-Tong , Inglis Christine
Published: January 2015

Illegal migration from China is contrasted to that from Vietnam to highlight Hong Kong's unique place in such flows. Political upheavals in China, economic recessions and labor shortages in Hong Kong have caused waves of legal and illegal Chinese migration into Hong Kong which have been effectively contained through the vigilance of border patrols, police checks for identity cards, fines on employers of illegals, and cooperation from China. The increased numbers of Vietnamese boat people from 1988 led to a hardening in government and public attitudes, resulting in the reclassification of refugees as illegal migrants. The key difference in Hong Kong's effectiveness at stemming these two illegal migrant streams has been bilateral cooperation, which has been achieved with China but lacking in the case of Vietnam.
Human Rights and the Rights of Migrant Workers: The Role of Trade Unions in Australia
Authors: Matheson Alan
Published: January 2015

This article presents an overview of the comprehensive policies and programs for migrant workers of the Australian Council of Trade Unions. To be effective in ensuring the industrial rights of overseas born workers, a combination of different strategies needs to be employed. Legislative, regulatory and administrative frameworks need to be established and agreed to by all parties. Information and education are integral to any strategy and should be multifaceted, multilingual and include the utilization of a variety of resources. In Australia, some of the most effective campaigns, particularly in the areas of occupational health and safety and discrimination, have occurred where there has been cooperation between unions, employers, governments and community agencies. Training is an essential element of services for overseas born workers. Governments and trade unions will not only need to come to terms with the changing nature of the regional and international movement of workers but will need to develop mechanisms for meeting their social and economic needs and monitoring the effective delivery of services and programs.
People Movements between Australia and Asian-Pacific Nations: Trends, Issues and Prospects
Authors: Pookong Kee , Shu Jing , Dang Trevor , Khoo Siew-Ean
Published: January 2015

Asia and the Pacific, excluding New Zealand, now provide over half of Australia's total immigrant intake. The Asian countries also account for more than half of tourists to Australia and the large majority of fee-paying overseas students enrolled in its tertiary and secondary education institutions. This article examines the growth and diversification of these permanent, long and short-term movements of people from Asia and the Pacific and the growth in immigrant and local-born Australians departing Australia to live and work in Asia. The occasional controversies surrounding the growth of Asian arrivals and Australia's current push to integrate with the booming Asian economies are examined. The article concludes with a general discussion of the economic, social, cultural, and international consequences of the two-way movements of people between Australia and its Asian and Pacific neighbors.
Changing Occupational Characteristics of U.S. Immigrants
Authors: De Jong Gordon F. , Blair Marilou C. Legazpi
Published: January 2015

Although the proportion of legal immigrants to the United States reporting an occupation remained nearly stable from the early 1970s to the mid-1980s, there was a decline in the proportion of immigrant workers admitted with professional and technical occupations — a trend that the 1990 Immigration Act seeks to address in this decade. Using 1972 and 1986 United States Immigration and Naturalization Service public use data, this analysis shows that a major explanation for the decline is the recomposition of immigrant worker streams; notably large increases in admissions from Mexico and Central America, South America and the Caribbean vs. Asian workers; and increases in immediate family numerically exempt and sixth preference new arrivals and older workers — all categories with a low proportion of professional and technical workers. Contrary to expectations, immigrants admitted with family preference visas recorded an increase in professional and technical workers, even though the proportion of highly skilled immigrant workers in this admission category is still quite low.
The Relationship between Remittances and Savings in Small Pacific Island States: Some Econometric Evidence
Authors: Foster John
Published: January 2015

The relationship between remittances and savings is examined for Tonga and Western Samoa using an econometric modelling approach. Savings deposits of various types held in banks in these countries are modelled and evidence is discovered of a strong relationship with the income level of migrants. Remittances are also found to be interest sensitive. The implications of the results for the “remittance decay” hypothesis are considered and preliminary conclusions are drawn with regard to the feasibility of introducing strategies to increase migrant saving flows into these and other South Pacific countries.
The Experience of Women in Chinese Immigrant Families: An Inquiry into Institutional and Organizational Processes
Authors: Man Guida
Published: January 2015

The effects of macrostructural processes (institutional and organizational) on Chinese immigrant women are examined, as well as the effects of Canadian immigration policies, past and present, on middle class Chinese women. Race, gender, and class relations inform and at the same time are informed by the institutional processes of Canadian immigration policies, and such practices are modified and transformed through historical, social and political fluctuations. Using information deriving from in-depth interviews, the everyday experiences of middle class Chinese immigrant women who have recently immigrated from Hong Kong is investigated. How these women's lives have been transformed due to institutional processes, as well as the difference in the social organization of Canadian society vis-a-vis Hong Kong society, are examined.
Overseas Employment and Social Transformation in Source Communities: Findings from the Phillippines
Authors: Asis Maruja M.B.
Published: January 2015

International labor migration has been a persistent feature of Philippine society since the 1970s. While the economic impact of overseas employment has been found to be generally beneficial to families and households, social impact of the phenomenon is less understood. Social transformation in four communities which have experienced large-scale and sustained international labor migration is discussed in the article. Economic prosperity for these communities, particularly for the families with migrant work was the most significant and most tangible impact attributed to oven employment. The negative aspects of overseas employment were related to perceptions of family problems and changes in the character of migrant and members of their families. In general, the nonmaterial changes triggered by overseas employment are still evolving, and changes in social forms or actors filling social roles are not necessarily to be viewed as negative effects of migration.