bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unskilled Foreign Labor and Korea's Economic Crisis
Authors: Park Young-Bum
Published: January 2015

Using survey data, this paper examined the role of unskilled foreign labor in the Korean economy during the recent economic crisis. The study was undertaken to find empirical support on whether foreign labor is a temporary or a structural feature of the economy. The survey confirmed that despite high levels of unemployment during the crisis, Korean workers did not take up so-called 3D jobs. Foreign workers were the ones who worked at these jobs, and the major reason for hiring them was their cheaper cost. Korean policymakers are currently reviewing government policy concerning foreign labor. The survey's findings suggest the ned to modify the government's stand of not accepting foreign labor.
Professionals from China: Entrepreneurship and Social Resources in a Strange Land
Authors: Salaff Janet , Greve Arent , Wong Siu-Lun
Published: January 2015

New skilled immigrants may have a hard time getting jobs. Among other reasons, local employers may not value their foreign-earned credentials. This could prompt professional and technical immigrants to start a business instead. In this paper, we examined how educated immigrants from the People's Republic of China avoid underemployment in Canada by setting up their own businesses. We found that many immigrants brought entrepreneurial backgrounds with them. However, their entrepreneurial experience was linked to their human capital, which was dynamically related with the organizational needs of large, complex bureaucracies back home. Once in Canada, where their social resources are diminished, few could reestablish enterprises. Without these supporting relations, skilled immigrants are not prime candidates for entrepreneurship.
Globalization, Transnationalism and Trade
Authors: Light Ivan
Published: January 2015

Investigating the relationship between immigration, middleman minority status, transnationalism and US foreign trade, the author assembled a census-based data file that contains aggregate-level variables for 88 foreign born groups by national-origin between 1980 and 1990. Immigrant characteristics and immigration volume were regressed upon time-lagged import/export statistics from the same 88 nations between 1985 and 1995. Results show the independent influence on exports of immigrant entrepreneurship, transnationalism and middleman minority status. But these variables had no effect on US imports; they only affected exports. The discrepancy between imports and exports arises because of the dominance of English as a world business language, itself a product of globalization. Foreigners need no help from immigrants when they export to the United States, but native-born, monolingual Americans need the help of bilingual immigrants when they export. Globalization has eventuated in the worldwide dominance of English, which causes this situation to arise.
The Impacts of Structural Change on APEC Labor Markets and Their Implications for International Labor Migration
Authors: Stahl Charles
Published: January 2015

This study examines the impacts of structural change on the labor markets of APEC member economies and explores the implications of these changes for international labor mobility within the region. All APEC economies have experienced significant structural changes during the process of development. The impacts of these changes are explored through an analysis of the changes over the period 1980 to 1997 in output and employment by industry and occupation, and changes in trade intensity and foreign direct investment. In many countries, a failure of education and training systems to respond to often rapid shifts in the skill composition of labor demand is leading to industry and occupation specific labor shortages. International labor migration within the APEC region, and changes in its occupational and industrial composition, are viewed as a product of these structural changes and a mechanism that assists in filling gaps in the labor markets of the region's economies. Because international labor migration will continue to expand within the APEC region, and will be given added impetus if APEC's goals of free trade are realized, there is a pressing need to design policies that will regulate and facilitate it while ensuring the protection of migrant workers.
Changes in the Labor Market and International Migration since the Economic Crisis in Thailand
Authors: Soonthorndhada Kusol
Published: January 2015

The economic crisis in July 1997 led to a sharp increase in unemployment and underemployment, particularly among workers with primary and lower secondary education, a drop in real earnings, and an increase in poverty incidence. Labor surplus and poverty pressures during the economic downturn likely boosted labor migration. New government measures in promoting overseas employment and the facilitation of recruitment agencies and migrants' social networks encouraged the outflows. Data from the Ministry of Labor indicate higher levels of overseas labor migration, especially to Taiwan. Most Thai overseas workers have a primary education and are engaged in unskilled labor. Although the government has started to provide skills training to help workers adjust to the needs of the labor market, more measures are needed to promote sustainable employment and human resource development, especially in the rural areas. Better protection for Thai workers overseas is another priority.
International Migration, Human Resource Development and Migration Policy in Korea
Authors: Choi Jin Ho
Published: January 2015

Until the mid-1980s, Korea was a major labor exporter to Arab countries. The flow of international labor migration was reversed in the late 1980s as domestic wages increased and as construction projects declined in the Middle East. Conversely, a massive influx of migrant workers, mostly from Asian countries, took place since the beginning of the 1990s. The large proportion of irregular foreign workers has been a feature of international mgiration in Korea. The government has been trying to address this problem since 1992. In recent years, three policy issues have been discussed: the impacts of foreign workers on the national economy, choosing between the industrial training program and the employment permit system, and special laws for foreign workers. To cope with the challenges of international labor migration, particularly the problems generated by irregular migration, prudent policy measures are urgently needed which should be beneficial to the national economy and the migrant workers.
Labor Importation and Unemployment of Local Workers in Taiwan
Authors: Tsay Ching-Lung , Lin Ji-Ping
Published: January 2015

Since the 1990s the labor market in Chinese Taipei has seen increasing employment of foreign workers vis-à-vis increasing local unemployment. The situation has sparked policy debates and calls for restricting the importation of foreign workers. Do foreign workers take away jobs from domestic workers? To what extent can domestic unemployment be attributed to labor importation? Who are the domestic workers affected by labor importation? These questions were explored using data from the 1996–99 Manpower Utilization Surveys. The study found that on the whole, there is no distinct relationship between labor importation and domestic unemployment. However, foreign labor does have a positive influence on employment for managerial/professional workers and a negative effect for the semi- and less-skilled construction workers. The use of foreign workers seems to affect domestic unemployment in sectors which are foreign labor-intensive sectors such as electronics and construction. Foreign workers do not complement domestic workers in managerial and professional occupations in foreign labor-intensive industries. The complementary effect becomes evident when all industries are considered in the model.
The Globalization of Transnational Labor Migration and the Filipino Family: A Narrative
Authors: Tyner James A.
Published: January 2015

Patterns of transnational migration have undergone rapid and dramatic shifts as a result of changes in the global economy. The countries and territories of Asia have especially been affected by globalizing processes as seen in the increased institutional regulation of transnational migration. Together, these changes in the global economy, transnational migration and institutional penetration have affected the formation and functions of families in the Asian region. Given the recency of these changes, many questions remain unanswered. How do government and private institutions, for example, influence familial relations and the migratory process? How are migrants' identities affected by these processes? Employing a narrative analysis, this paper examines the intersection of institutional regulations and the Filipino family. Specifically, I present the case of Lisa, a Filipina who formerly worked as a performing artist in Okinawa, and now resides in the United States. Through Lisa's story, I explore how institutional regulations provide opportunities and constraints on her migratory experiences, and how her changing familial situation affects her sense of self-identity. As such, this paper provides insights into the human experience associated with changing processes of globalization.
Social Adaptation Problems among Amerasian Refugees
Authors: Mullan Brendan , Majka Lorraine , Rumsey Chong-Anna
Published: January 2015

In this paper we describe and explain a variety of problems experienced by Amerasian youths upon their resettlement in the United States. We examine a matrix of contextual, household and individual behavioral predictors of Amerasian youths' problems and we argue that, taken individually, existing theoretical frameworks do not adequately explain the Amerasian adaptation process. The most significant predictors of Amerasian youths' problems are an unstable home environment, gender (maleness), whether or not the mother reported mental and physical problems, and the type of assistance provider (mutual assistance association). We add to existing research on Amerasians' process of adaptation by incorporating a wider variety of youths' problems into the dependent variable, by including hitherto unavailable independent variables into the analysis, and by suggesting some immediate strategies and new policy initiatives aimed at helping resettlement agencies deal with this specialized immigrant population. In sum, we demonstrate that Amerasians' unofficially “mixed” immigration status – they are designated as immigrants who are treated as refugees but are simultaneously half-American – compounds theorists and policy makers' difficulties in dealing conceptually with this population.
Pengungsi — Indonesia's Internally Displaced Persons
Authors: Hugo Graeme
Published: January 2015

Indonesia currently has one of the largest groups of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) of any nation in the world. This paper assesses the scale and patterns of such movement in Indonesia as at the beginning of 2002. It begins by assessing conflict as a cause of internal migration and shows how such movement was significant during the first two decades of independence in Indonesia. The current patterns of movement of IDPs in Indonesia are then outlined with the main origins being in the Outer Island provinces of Maluku, East Timor, Aceh, Central Sulawesi, Central Kalimantan, Papua and West Kalimantan. Around half of the current 1.3 million IDPs are housed in “refugee camps,” often in crowded and unhygienic conditions. Several of the expulsions of IDPs have come from areas where there have been earlier influxes of migrants, especially transmigrants of Java-Bali origins and the so-called BBM (Bugis, Butonese and Makassarese from South Sulawesi), with different ethnoreligious backgrounds than the native residents. The release of central control following the fall of the Suharto regime and the onset of the financial crisis have seen simmering newcomer/native, ethnic, religious and economic tensions rise to the surface to create the large scale expulsions. The Indonesian government has put forward a strategy to “solve” the IDP problem by the end of 2002. This is assessed and some of the medium and long-term implications of the movement discussed.
School Attendance of Migrant Children in Beijing, China: A Multivariate Analysis
Authors: Guo Fei
Published: January 2015

Recent trends in rural to urban migration in China indicate that more migrants are moving to the cities with their families, including young children. Without an urban household registration or hukou, migrant children do not have access to local schools in the cities, raising many concerns about the children's well-being. Using data from the 1997 Migrant Census in Beijing, this study sought to describe the social and demographic characteristics of migrant children in Beijing, to examine the patterns of school attendance of migrant children and to determine the factors affecting their school attendance. The study found that 88 percent of migrant children in Beijing were attending school. Migrant children whose parents had higher education, were non-agricultural hukou holders and those who had longer residence in Beijing had higher rates of school attendance. The study found some differences on the children's school attendance when the characteristics of migrant fathers and migrant mothers were examined separately.
The Difference Gender Makes: State Policy and Contract Migrant Workers in Singapore
Authors: Huang Shirlena , Yeoh Brenda S.A.
Published: January 2015

The increasing numbers of men and women involved in international labor migration at all skill levels have raised crucial policy issues and concerns for both sending and receiving countries, not only in the area of migration and employment legislation, but also in terms of how migrant workers are positioned within the larger society. Using the case of Singapore, we adopt a gendered analysis to examine the central role of state policies and practices in the incorporation vis-à-vis non-incorporation of male versus female contract migrant workers into Singapore society, in terms of their differential access to legal protection; the differential effects of state medical surveillance of their bodies; the different ways in which their ‘skills' are valorized; as well as differences in the efforts invested into the social control of these workers in public space.
The Changing Roles of NGOs in Relation to Female Indonesian Labor Migration
Authors: Pudjiastuti Tri Nuke
Published: January 2015

The patterns and processes of female labor migration from Indonesia to major destination countries are extremely complex, as are the related gender issues. The high demand for female labor migrants, rapid economic growth in destination countries and the current socio-economic situation in Indonesia have resulted in greater priority being given to meeting government targets for female labor export than to protecting the female labor migrants themselves. The very nature of domestic work puts unskilled females in a highly unequal power relationship with recruiters, agencies and employers in the destination countries. Each change in the Indonesian government and its policies toward migrants gives new opportunities for NGOs to carve out roles for themselves in community development. Even though female labor migration only concerns a few NGOs in Indonesia, their role — in defining the issues, approaches, strategies and ideologies surrounding Indonesian female migration — is widening and evolving, leading them to develop new modes of collaboration between government and non-governmental institutions.
Advocating for the Voting Rights of Sri Lankan Migrant Workers
Authors: Saroor Shreen
Published: January 2015

Labor migration from Sri Lanka has been dominated by women migrant workers who take up domestic work, mostly in the Middle East. Remittances from women migrant workers have been a major boon to Sri Lanka's economy. However, the social costs of female migration have also been considerable. Migrant NGOs have advocated to effect changes to protect the rights of women migrants. In 2000, a migrant NGO started the campaign to extend voting rights to migrant workers as a means to improve their leverage to influence policy making. The campaign has gained the support of different political parties and government agencies.
Insurgency and Advocacy: Unauthorized Foreign Workers and Civil Society in South Korea
Authors: Kim Joon
Published: January 2015

Due to major structural changes in the 1980s, South Korea initiated an international contract labor program known as the industrial trainee system in 1991. Started ostensibly as a temporary measure to deal with domestic labor shortage in the declining manufacturing sector, the program has spread recently to other sectors, including fisheries, construction and agriculture. Currently, over 300,000 unskilled foreigners reside in South Korea, of which two out of every three persons are identified as unauthorized workers. This article examines how the South Korean industrial trainee program systematically produces unauthorized workers and highlights the role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in protecting the human rights of foreign workers. The successful collaboration of South Korea's civil society stems from its unique historical formation, rooted in democracy movements of earlier decades. It also implicates strong prospects for substantive integration of foreign workers and, as a consequence, suggests important changes in the country's social and economic structures.
Sex Trafficking in Nepal: Context and Process
Authors: Hennink Monique , Simkhada Padam
Published: January 2015

The aim of this study was to provide a clearer understanding of the process and context of sex trafficking from Nepal using data from trafficked women themselves. It develops a conceptual framework of the trafficking process and uses this to identify detailed strategies for reducing the risk of trafficking. Quantitative data were analyzed from case records of 202 sex-trafficked women at rehabilitation centers in Nepal. In-depth interviews with 42 sex trafficked women, mostly residing at rehabilitation centers in Kathmandu, provide contextual information on the process and circumstances of sex trafficking. The results of this study provide a clearer understanding of the stages of movement through the sex trafficking process; in particular that sex trafficking does not always begin at the village level, it may also occur after voluntary migration or after trafficking to urban areas for other purposes (i.e., labor exploitation). Interventions therefore need to target each stage of movement through sex trafficking. Respondents were most commonly sex trafficked by familiar persons, including relatives; and force and abduction are less common. Women exited from sex trafficking through rescue, escape or release. One of the outcomes of sex trafficking is a return to sex work upon return to Nepal.
Filipino Domestic Workers and the Creation of New Subjectivities
Authors: Ogaya Chiho
Published: January 2015

This article analyzes the social activities of migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong and Singapore in the context of the feminization of migration. It classifies these activities into those that move towards (1) upholding the rights of migrant domestic workers, and (2) upgrading their social status to promote social mobility. These two activities and the changes they effect may be achieved individually and collectively, and clearly show the capability of migrant domestic workers to be counter-hegemonic subjects, both in the form of ‘everyday resistance’ and as agents of social change. This article also explores how these two activities intertwine through migrant women's volunteer work. The emergence of networks of migrant organizations and NGOs and new solidarity across different ethnicities are also discussed as a form of dynamism resulting from the feminization of migration.
Rights of Foreign Domestic Workers — Emergence of Transnational and Transregional Solidarity?
Authors: Piper Nicola
Published: January 2015

This paper explores the notion of an emerging transnational or transregional labor solidarity of foreign workers across the Southeast and East Asian region as well as Europe by investigating migration as an instrument of political transformation through the concept of transnationalism. The issue of solidarity is analyzed through the lens of non-governmental activism as represented by trade union and NGOs, two types of organizations with different strengths and weaknesses. The political organization of migrant is rendered difficult because of the nature of their jobs, organizational ‘culture'or tradition, and political space for activism. Among migrant workers, the challenge is greatest for foreign domestic workers, who have been described as particularly “unorganizable.” Reflecting the cross-border nature of labor migration, political action to address abusive and discriminatory treatment is also becoming increasingly transnational. Thus far, transnational advocacy networks have been mainly intraregional with little or no engagement by trade unions. But some linkages have begun to be formed across regions, such as between Asia and Europe, and there are signs of trade unions getting more involved. In this sense, feminized migration from below has begun to contribute to ‘democratization’ from below.
Differential Impact of Transnational Ties on the Socio-Economic Development of Origin Communities: The Case of Chinese Migrants from Zhejiang Province in Italy
Authors: Cologna Daniele
Published: January 2015

Based on extensive qualitative research carried out in Milan and Rome, Italy, among Zhejiang migrants, this paper attempts to compare the transnational strategies of migrants from the Wencheng and Qingtian districts, and to examine the impact of their transnational practices on their districts of origin. The striking differences in the character and scope of local development in these two districts of Southern Zhejiang province suggests the operation of factors that affect the migration-development nexus. Findings indicate major constraints and aspirations that shape the migrants' career abroad and their ability to take active part in local development. As such, there is a need to balance optimistic views of migration as an informal development policy with a sober appraisal of its limits and possible unexpected side effects.
Global Perspectives on Forced Migration
Authors: Castles Stephen
Published: January 2015

All over the world, millions of people have been forced from their homes by violent conflict, persecution and human rights violations. Those able to cross international borders become refugees or asylum seekers, while others are ‘internally displaced people’ within their home country. Yet others are forced from their homes by development projects, environmental change and disasters. This article discusses definitions and categories of forced migration, and provides a global statistical overview. Conflict and forced migration have not declined since the end of the Cold War. Indeed they appear to be an integral part of the social transformations linked to globalization. More and more people are in situations of long-term exile and hopelessness. States, international agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) find it increasingly difficult to respond to humanitarian emergencies. The legal and institutional framework set up through the 1951 Refugee Convention needs strengthening and extending to meet the new situation.
Forced Migration in Indonesia: Historical Perspectives
Authors: Hugo Graeme
Published: January 2015

This paper argues that a historical perspective is important in the understanding of contemporary forced migration in Indonesia. It demonstrates this through an analysis of the major pre-1965 forced migrations in the country. It shows that many contemporary population flows, both forced and unforced, have their origins in historical forced migration. For example, urbanization in Indonesia in the immediate post-independence decades was in a major way a function of forced migration. Forced migration also has created chain migration linkages between origin and destination along which later non-forced movements occur. It is also shown that historical forces are often responsible for the political, economic and social inequalities which are an important influence on contemporary patterns of migration.
Malaysian Students in Australia: The Pursuit of Upward Mobility
Authors: Sin I Lin
Published: January 2015

This article reports the findings of a predominantly qualitative study on the main factors that guide the initial migration of Malaysian students to Australia and their aspirations to stay on or leave the host country upon graduation. It also examines whether they deliberately seek qualifications that help them secure permanent residence. The students who do not intend to migrate permanently expressed a preference to remain for a while in Australia for mostly employment and income-related reasons.
Action Imperatives for Trade Unions and Civil Society
Authors: Taran Patrick A. , Demaret Luc
Published: January 2015

Civil society and trade unions, whether as service providers and/or as advocates, have played a key role in defending migrants' rights. Increased labor mobility on the one hand and accelerating labor exploitation and deregulation on the other have rendered migrants, particularly irregular migrants, more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. While there is an alternative policy framework to promote migrants' rights, the realization of this framework requires sustained advocacy. Both civil society organizations and trade unions are critical players in advocating for a comprehensive and rights-based approach to national and international migration policies. Key strategic action lines include establishing alliances among trade unions, civil society and migrant organizations; spearheading public discussions and actions to prevent discrimination and xenophobia; provision of direct services to migrant communities; and engagement with international campaigns and cooperative programs.
Working Together for Migrants' Empowerment
Authors: Macabuag Lorena , Dimaandal Jose Maria
Published: January 2015

This article provides an overview of the experience of the Migrant Forum in Asia (MFA), a network of migrant organizations in Asia, in building alliances with trade unions in the promotion of migrants' rights. MFA members have had different levels of engagement with trade unions in addressing migrant workers' issues. A more concerted approach to working with trade unions started in 2003. MFA's cooperation with trade unions in Indonesia and Singapore is highlighted in the paper.
A Shadow Report on Human Trafficking in Lao PDR: The US Approach vs. International Law
Authors: Gallagher Anne
Published: January 2015

Since 2001, the United States government has issued annual reports on the situation of human trafficking in every other country deemed to have a significant problem in this area. This article focuses on the standards used in assessing the response of States to trafficking. It notes that international law already provides detailed and substantive guidance on the obligations of States in this area. Using Lao PDR as an example, the article demonstrates that the application of these international standards yields a far better result: one that is legally sound as well as more accurate, more nuanced and more likely to induce real and lasting change.
Trafficking and Slavery in Australia: An Evaluation of Victim Support Strategies
Authors: Burn Jennifer , Simmons Frances
Published: January 2015

The paper evaluates legal protections and social support systems for victims of trafficking and slavery in Australia within a human rights framework based on the United Nations Protocol to Prevent and Suppress Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children and the UN Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking. A major focus of the paper is the evaluation of a system of visas offered by the Australian government to victims of trafficking and slavery. The paper argues that the visa system and social support program is restricted to the assistance of victims who participate in the criminal justice process, thereby limiting state protection of victims of trafficking and slavery.
Chinese Student and Labor Migration to the United States: Trends and Policies since the 1980s
Authors: Poston Dudley L. , Luo Hua
Published: January 2015

This paper analyzes recent patterns of Chinese immigration to the United States. We mainly compare the migration trends of students and laborers. Foreign students enter the U.S. usually as temporary immigrants with F1 or M1 visas, thus they are easily distinguished from permanent immigrants. Labor immigrants come to the U.S. in either a permanent or temporary status. We examine and compare the trends of these groups of Chinese immigrants for the 23-year period of 1980 to 2002 and evaluate the degree to which U.S. immigration laws have influenced the trends.
Opportunities and Vulnerabilities of Female Migrants in Construction Work in India
Authors: Bhattacharyya Sanghita K. , Korinek Kim
Published: January 2015

This paper is based on a case study of female migrants working in construction-the second largest industry in India and one which employs almost 30 million people, approximately 30 percent of which are women, many of them migrants. In this paper, we extend beyond an empirical description of female migrant workers in the field of construction, considering the subjective and nuanced realities linked to women's lived experiences as migrants. The study is based on interviews of 110 female construction workers who have migrated from various regions of India to the city of Delhi. An in-depth, qualitative exploration of these women's lives and perceptions captures some of the more latent risks and rewards associated with both migration and work in the informal sector. Specifically, the results shed light on how strong societal norms may actually prevent women from acknowledging or articulating the true reasons for their migrations.
An Ethnography of Restaurant Workers: Thai Women in England
Authors: Kitcharoen Patreeya
Published: January 2015

This article presents the results of an ethnographic study of women employed in a successful chain of Thai restaurants in England. The study aims to illuminate the experiences of migrant women in an ethnic, Thai-owned business. Building on household strategies, it describes a pattern of female transnational migration from Thailand. It uses the tools of participant observation and in-depth interviews to examine the daily lives of women in the restaurants, their accommodations, their communities in the UK and the ways in which they maintain transnational households through their personal contacts, visits and remittances. The study finds that the restaurant's full-time employed women live in isolation from the local community. Although the work performed by these women is rigidly disciplined, there is a high level of trust between them and their employers. The full-time employed women report positive outcomes associated with their transnational lives despite the harshness of their lived realities.
Displacement and Resettlement in the Three Gorges Project: Issues Confronting Women Migrants
Authors: Tan Yan
Published: January 2015

This article focuses on the situation of women migrants displaced by the Three Gorges Project (TGP) in China. It examines the participation and types of work undertaken by women migrants in the resettlement process, the strategies of the government and women migrants in coping with risks (especially impoverishment) that migrant families face after physical displacement, and some gender-related issues relevant to planning in the TGP. Data show that women migrants have limited opportunities to participate in the decision-making process of displacement. Following resettlement, women migrants face difficulties in finding employment in the non-agricultural sector while those who remain in the agricultural sector encounter extreme difficulties in attempting to engage in new agricultural practices in their new environments. The study found that a gendered perspective in planning for livelihood reconstruction and skills training is generally inadequate or absent.
Collective Identity, Individual Identity and Social Movements: The Right-of-Abode Seekers in Hong Kong
Authors: Lee Chun Wing
Published: January 2015

This article focuses on the right of abode movement that emerged in Hong Kong soon after the 1997 handover to China. Collective action was taken by thousands of mainland-born people with Hong Kong parents to fight for the right of abode in Hong Kong. The political and legal implications of the right-of-abode issue had been widely examined in the media and academic world. This article offers another angle to the issue by exploring why mainland-born people with Hong Kong parents sacrificed their work, studies and lives in mainland China to fight for the right of abode in Hong Kong. In-depth interviews conducted with 14 mainland-born right of abode seekers shed light on the construction of collective identity and the relationship between collective identity and individual identity among movement participants.
Managing Labor Migration: Philippine State Policy and International Migration Flows, 1969–2000
Authors: Acacio Kristel
Published: January 2015

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the role of the state in international labor migration. Recent conceptualizations of the state have concentrated on receiving states, placing their actions within the framework of control–the process of stemming the entry of immigrants whose supply currently outstrips demand. This study focuses instead on the role of the sending state and the attempt to manage outflows of labor migrants through policy. Using the case study of the Philippines, I analyze the impact of policy interventions on the annual number of processed overseas contract workers (OCWs) using time series regression techniques. Results show that state policy does have a statistically significant effect on the rate of OCWs processed each year, net of per-capita GDP and unemployment. However, not all of the major state policies identified yield statistically significant or expected results. The policies that impact migration are those formulated to (1) coordinate the activities of the private recruitment sector under state supervision, and (2) reorganize the state bureaucracy that processes OCWs. These results push us to examine more closely the role of the Philippine state in contemporary labor migration and to consider the effect of different types of state intervention aimed at managing migration flows.
Looking at the Other: Chinese and Maori Youth Perspectives
Authors: Liu Liangni , Lu Jun
Published: January 2015

The arrival of many new Chinese migrants since the early 1990s seems to have created a tension between Chinese and Maori in New Zealand. This study explores how young Maori and Chinese migrants perceive each other in the Auckland region, a site of intercultural interaction. In-depth interviews were carried out among eleven new Chinese migrants and the same number of Maori youth, i.e., those in the ages 20 to 36. Findings suggest that Chinese migrants generally perceive Maori negatively and seem reluctant to interact with them, while Maori have slightly positive views towards Chinese and are willing to interact with them. Media reports and lack of personal contact between the two groups may have shaped these perceptions. Closer interaction between the two groups is expected to promote better understanding of each other.
Indonesia
Authors: Sukamdi
Published: January 2015

International migration from Indonesia is dominated by labor migration and a significant share of unauthorized migration and female migration. The Center for Overseas Employment and the Ditjen Binawas Depnaker, Direktorat Jenderal Pembinaan dan Pengawasan Ketenagakerjaan are in charge of Indonesian overseas labor migration. The Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration is responsible for collecting data on stock estimates of immigrants and emigrants, annual inflows and outflows, and characteristics of immigrants and emigrants. The Bank of Indonesia and the Ministry of Manpower gather information on remittances. There is no government agency which collects information on return migration. The publication of detailed reports and electronic accessibility of data can further improve data dissemination on international migration.
Skilled Temporary Migration from Asia-Pacific Countries to Australia
Authors: Khoo Siew-Ean , McDonald Peter , Hugo Graeme
Published: January 2015

The Asia-Pacific region is a significant source of skilled temporary migration to Australia. The paper provides an overview of recent trends in skilled temporary migration from Asia-Pacific countries to Australia and compares the Asia-Pacific migrants with migrants from other regions to investigate whether the Asia-Pacific migrants are selective of particular demographic and human capital characteristics. Differences are observed between the two groups in some of these characteristics. There are also differences in their reasons for migration, employment situation and return migration/permanent residence intentions. Future trends and implications based on recent policy changes and likely developments in the region are discussed.
Displacement and Economic Consequences of the Three Gorges Project: A Case Study of Resettlers in Sichuan Province
Authors: Tan Yan , Chen Yong , Hugo Graeme
Published: January 2015

Due to the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, more than 10,000 rural migrants from Kaixian County were displaced and resettled in Sichuan Province under the “government-organized distant resettlement” program between 2000 and 2004. This study examines the circumstances of the migrants' livelihood reconstruction in the early stages after displacement. Six towns that received migrants were selected as sites for the case studies. Structured question interviews with migrants and host residents were conducted from April to June in 2007 and in January 2008. Survey data on the livelihoods of resettled migrant households show a propensity for impoverishment. The study concludes with some insights into the development impact of environmental displacement.
The Indian and Chinese Academic Diaspora in Australia: A Comparison
Authors: Hugo Graeme
Published: January 2015

The shift in international migration research away from a focus on permanent displacement and settlement to transnationalism has not been accompanied by a similar shift in international migration systems which are still based on the old paradigm. This study utilizes Australia-based secondary and primary data to show the actual nature of population movement between two of Australia's major countries of origin of migrants: China and India. It focuses particularly on one group of migrants — university-based researchers and teachers. The paper demonstrates that the mobility relationship between Australia on the one hand, and India and China on the other, is most accurately depicted as a complex system involving substantial and diverse flows in both directions. Survey data are used to explore the linkages maintained by Indian and Chinese academics in Australia with their homelands. The findings suggest that there is considerable scope from the perspectives of China and India to engage their diaspora in activities which will be beneficial to development.
Engaging with New Zealand's Recognized Seasonal Employer Work Policy: The Case of Tuvalu
Authors: Bedford Charlotte , Bedford Richard , Ho Elsie
Published: January 2015

New Zealand's Recognized Seasonal Employer (RSE) work policy is a managed circular migration initiative that is designed to provide benefits to employers in New Zealand's horticulture and viticulture industries, workers from Pacific states that have limited opportunities for wage-earning employment in their own countries, and the communities that the workers leave temporarily for work in New Zealand. Tuvalu is one of five Pacific countries where the New Zealand Department of Labour has been facilitating participation in the RSE scheme since the policy was formally introduced in April 2007. Tuvalu is by far the smallest of the participating countries, with a population aged 15–49 years of around 4,600 in 2008. It is the Pacific country where the RSE scheme could potentially make the greatest difference to provision of temporary wage employment for the country's labor force. However, there is little evidence to date that Tuvalians, despite their extensive experience of overseas labor migration, have maximized the potential for temporary work that the scheme offers. This previous experience is examined briefly, followed by a discussion of the terms under which Tuvalu has agreed to participate in the RSE scheme, with reference to the Inter-Agency Understanding (IAU) signed by New Zealand's Department of Labour and Tuvalu's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Labour. The first two years of Tuvalu's involvement in the program are then examined, drawing on information obtained during field work in Tuvalu in January 2008, January 2009 and April 2010, with particular reference to the perspectives of the different stakeholders involved. We suggest some ways of improving Tuvaluan participation in the RSE work policy at a time when the country's engagement in the scheme appears to be at risk.
Leaving or Staying: Inter-Provincial Migration in Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen-Hoang Phuong , McPeak John
Published: January 2015

Internal migration has several policy implications for economic growth and development for developing countries in general and for the fast growing low-income country of Vietnam in particular. Little research has been done, however, on inter-provincial migration in Vietnam. This study makes two major contributions to the migration and development literature in terms of the datasets and policy-relevant estimation approach. It is the first paper to use the annual survey data on migration published by Vietnam's General Statistics Office. This study also adopts a functional form to accommodate the flexibility of income's elasticity. Income, together with urban unemployment rates, are endogenously estimated with instruments that prove to be strong and valid. The inclusion of policy-relevant variables provides empirical findings that can make migration policy in Vietnam better-informed. Specifically, Vietnamese migrants are influenced primarily by moving costs, expected income differentials, disparity in the quality of public services offered by provinces, and the demographic composition at destination and source. This paper's findings provide new insight for migration policy options, and suggest that the government adopt a holistic policy approach to maximize the benefits and minimize the costs associated with internal migration.
Support Networking Strategies of Female Chinese Immigrants in London, Ontario
Authors: Da Wei-Wei
Published: January 2015

Drawing on data gathered from semi-structured interviews with eighteen professional Chinese women with young children who have recently migrated to London, Ontario, this paper examines the social support networks of these women. Despite a range of barriers and difficulties, Chinese immigrant women actively mobilize their family resources and develop new support systems to meet their settlement needs in Canada. Their support networks are seen as being strategic in response to the challenges they face. Strong ties continue to be perceived as important sources of support for some immigrants, but weak ties that are established via post-migration religious participation and the use of modern communication technology, particularly the Internet, clearly provide these immigrant women vital support in dealing with settlement concerns, such as childcare and education. The findings also underscore the dramatic effect of immigration on some women's religious practices. The findings are discussed in relation to the ongoing debate about gender and social support networks of immigrants. The findings have implications for social service providers and policymakers involved in providing appropriate services to immigrant families and their children.
Promoting Migrants' Rights in South Korea: NGOs and the Enactment of the Employment Permit System
Authors: Kim Denis
Published: January 2015

Scholarship dealing with the promotion of migrants' rights has developed largely against the backdrop of experiences in Western liberal democratic countries. As a consequence, the roles of the state and global human rights regime have been emphasized to explain the expansion of migrants' rights. Looking at the enactment process of the Employment Permit System in South Korea, this paper argues that local pro-immigrant NGOs played a more crucial role in the promotion of migrants' rights than the state or international human rights norms. Findings of the study also point to the possible implications of the Korean experience for new immigration countries in Asia, most of which have a history of a strong state with little recognition of human rights and an immigration policy that is generally restrictive.
The Fertility Impact of Rural-to-Urban Migration in China
Authors: Werwath Timothy
Published: January 2015

This paper provides insights into the relationship between migration and fertility in urban China. Data collected in five major Chinese cities during the China Urban Labor Survey of 2001 is used to compare the fertility patterns of rural-to-urban migrants with permanent urban residents. The analysis takes a life course perspective, taking into account the timing of major life events when estimating the impact of migration on fertility. These results suggest that migrants generally have higher fertility than native urban residents, but that the fertility patterns of migrants vary significantly by the relative timing of marriage and migration, and by educational attainment.
Recent Developments and Implications of Policies on Ethnic Return Migration in Korea
Authors: Seol Dong-Hoon , Lee Yean-Ju
Published: January 2015

The Visit and Employment Program (VEP) for ethnic Koreans with foreign citizenship was adopted in 2007 to resolve the 2001 ruling by the Constitutional Court on a provision of the Overseas Koreans Act which calls for differential treatment of overseas ethnic Koreans. Policies specific to ethnic return migration and international migration in general are continuously evolving in Korea. While the policy directives still tend to emphasize economic development, they seem to move toward a point of balance where potentially conflicting goals of promoting human rights, economic development, and a stable civic society can be achieved.
Emigration and the Family Economy: Bangladeshi Labor Migration to Saudi Arabia
Authors: Rahman Md Mizanur
Published: January 2015

The new economics of labor migration explains migration as part of family strategies to address income risks and capital constraints in developing countries. However, it does not adequately take into account the risks and costs borne by migrant families in contemporary labor migration. This paper examines the emigration-family economy nexus highlighting the undercurrent of risks in the labor migration process. This study draws from the experiences of Bangladeshi families who have family members working in Saudi Arabia. The research reports that migrants often undertake international migration at great costs of their own, incurring large debts, risking personal savings and family assets, and accentuating income risks and capital constraints, while the remittances are meager in the repair of such family economy.