The Evolution of Global Capitalism and Processes of Migration - Essay Example

Running head: SOCIOLOGY How does the evolution of global capitalism shape patterns and processes of migration? How does migration in turn shape and intersect with the forces at work in the global economy? Insert Name Insert Course Title Insert Instructor’s Name 10 April 2012 Migration and global capitalism The rampant inequalities in different parts of the world have historically given people varied reasons to move from one point to another. The varied economic and social conditions in different countries and regions creates the necessary motivations for migration; making segments of people to move out and another segment to move in depending on the perceived benefits of relocation (Ravenstein, 1889). There are many factors that contribute to the decision of individuals moving from one place to another and it may include economic, social, and family considerations. Rural to Urban migration occurs when the resources in the rural areas are not enough for everyone and people have to find other means to empower their families economically. For most individuals to succeed in the migrating process, the decision and procedure must be fully supported by the family (Harbison, 1981). Most people will migrate to where they have relatives or other social contacts that will economically advance the individuals once they have migrated. The family provides the structural and emotional support for migration by using their finances and support. Societal norms and practices influence the gender of the people migrating and women have a very different experience if they want to migrate (Chant, 1992). This is because they play a very significant role in the family and the society. The industrial revolution created the impetus to migrate in search of employment. Today, international migration is driven mainly by poverty and rampant unemployment in immigrant’s country of origin caused largely by slow industrialization, population explosions, and the prospects of rewarding employment opportunities in the destination countries (Massey et al., 1994). Because of the economic and social problems created by globalization in third world countries, migration to better economies is a necessity to improve the social standards of the resident families. Most Third World countries governments facilitate migration of their citizens to developed economies because of the economic benefits the migrants contribution has to their countries. When they get employed the immigrants send money to their families for investments which improve the economic situations of the households (Hujo and Piper, 2007) and eventually the remittances stimulate the third world countries economies due to increased Gross National Product (Taylor, 1999).Global capitalism has resulted in increased liberalization of world trade, with increased mobility of goods, capital, and services. Barriers to international movement have also declined sharply probably due to the laxness of migration control powers because of increased globalization and technology. Despite the global markets being directly and indirectly connected to allow ease of movement of migrant workers, the poor migrant worker faces more challenges than the skilled migrant does and this changes the patterns of migration significantly. Various National and International policies are put in place to regulate the movement of people between states and they influence the migrant labor distribution. The highly competitive world economy has created a lucky section of highly skilled migrant who enjoy unregulated movement across states. These workers will predominantly move to highly developed countries and will enjoy very lucrative benefits. These migrant workers have extensive business networks and they enjoy a prestigious social class that makes them transnational citizens. Poor unskilled migrant workers often move to countries that require a lot of cheap labor and they most often have lower salaries than the resident populations. Many unskilled migrant workers are unprotected by resident government employment laws and are most likely to be faced by many human injustices. They form a class of workers that is racially discriminated and abused. Because of the existing conditions of these migrant workers, many prospective unskilled migrants are deterred by the situations and they only migrate when the economic hardships are unbearable. Despite the increased feminized labor migration in east and South East Asia, the governments in those countries do not take any measures to protect the immigrant women. Economic development in the region has not been at par leading to high and low income economies in the region. Immigration is often the only way for the women who historically face ethnic discrimination, gender inequalities, and economic injustices. This leads to the women migrating from the low economies like Philippines and Indonesia to the better economies of Hong Kong and Malaysia (Hujo and Piper, 2007). Most of the unskilled women end up working as sex workers and domestic workers. This employment is the only way this women can eke a better living and they are sometimes faced with a lot of abuse, discrimination, and unequal treatments in their work places requiring the input of civil societies and nongovernmental organizations to come to their aid. The low economy countries encourage women migration due to the foreign money they send back home (Cheng, 1999). They should aggressively promote the women welfare at all costs from exploitation and abuse. Migration has both positive and negative effects in the country of origin. It could lead to development that arises from the remittances by the migrants to their home areas. The constant contact with their original communities could be beneficial to the community in the long run because the money received from outside countries could be used in developments, which could benefit many people. When the migrants return home they come equipped with new ideas, technology, skills and better methods of doing things that could be used to develop the local communities in education, health and other sectors. The negative effects of migration result from loss of human capital and brain drain. It is mostly the educated and the skilled that migrate successfully and thus the reason countries loose people who are talented and who have used national resources in their advancement. This in itself may not be entirely true as some poor countries do not have adequate avenues for development and mostly under use their human capital. Migration has very little effect in the poverty levels as those who migrate are usually financially able to cater for the costs of migration. The net effect on the poverty levels is thus very low. It can however affect very poor nations like the sub-Saharan African countries which predominantly are involved in conflicts and experience famines. These regions experience reduced levels of development and hence the able bodied people migrate to other areas in search of a better life. They in turn network their families and friends who progressively move out of those regions. The net effect is a region with no human capital and this leads to increased levels of poverty. However, the loss of highly skilled workforce through migration will continuously deprive their countries the much needed human capital necessary for development. This is especially true for very poor countries with low development (Skeldon, 2008). To effectively tip the balance to their favor, countries that have experienced significant brain drainage as a result of migration should come up with effective avenues for the skilled people in the Diaspora so that they can contribute effectively to development of their home countries. The exact intersection of migration and development is very difficult to place because the intrinsic factors that contribute to the two phenomena’s are very difficult to quantify. Globalization has seen the rise of human trafficking with women and children bearing constituting the largest percent of the trade. Balkan criminal elements are heavily involved in internal and external human trafficking of women and girls for the sex trade. The unlucky women and girls are introduced into the sex trade through force or trickery and they end up being transported to other countries to work as sex workers. Ethnic Balkan women and girls are trafficked to regions and countries with better economies. Human trafficking for the sex trade is availability of clients as seen when the Yugoslavia was fragmented. Non ethnic women were trafficked into the region to serve the relief workers, peace keepers, and expatriates living in the region. The demand for Albanian, Romanian, and Russian girls was in Europe and hence they were transported there (Friman and Reich, 2007). All this has been possible because of the advance in technology and economic liberalization. Unequal globalization rates result in unequal distribution of resources and hence some countries become more endowed than others. Free trade contributes to the isolation of minority groups and countries as they can not match the competition created by the more developed nations and this increases poverty levels. Many of the minority groups especially including men and women opt to migrate. To overcome international restrictions and barriers they seek the services of international criminals’ networks that deal with human trafficking. Through promises of better jobs and security many people especially women and children end up in forced labor and in the sex trade. Globalization results in the free movement of goods and services and people and this make it very hard for government institutions to regulate the trade. The rise of immigration has resulted in societies in highly developed countries coexisting with the immigrants. Traditionally, the immigrant populations have been discriminated in many avenues resulting in unequal wealth distribution in the host countries. The lack of complete integration of the immigrants in the social and economic systems of the host countries has created numerous social and economic problems resulting in increased crime rates among the immigrant populations. Developed countries need to develop a sustainable and dynamic economy capable of providing better jobs for everyone (Geddes et al., 2004). By using the principles of equality and fairness, these economies would utilize the best skills and knowledge in the immigrant populations for the benefit of all and this would promote social cohesion and a vibrant economy. By providing unfettered access to citizenship, study opportunities, and equal employment opportunities, the developed countries would be able to achieve maximum benefits from globalization while at the same time increasing their human capital and labor. Whether migration is caused by poverty or a search for better opportunities, it has long lasting impacts in development and the global economy. The economic inequalities will continue because of the different levels of technology and human capital. Poor countries will perpetually suffer brain drain and unless they address their perpetual economic and development failures they will always lag behind in development. The international community should adequately address the issue of human trafficking and they should provide an equal platform for empowerment of all people regardless of race, color, or country of origin. References Chant, S., ed. (1992). Gender and Migration in Developing Countries. London: Belhaven Press. Cheng, S. A. (1999). "Labor Migration and International Sexual Division of Labor: A Feminist Perspective." In Gender and Immigration, ed. G. A. Kelson and D. L. DeLaet. New York: New York University Press. Friman, R., and Reich, S. (2007). Human Trafficking and the Balkans. University of Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press. Geddes, A., Niessen, J., Balch, A., Bullen, C., and Peiro, M. (2004). European Civic Citizenship And Inclusion Index 2004. British Council Harbison, S. F. (1981). "Family Structure and Family Strategy in Migration Decision Making."In Migration Decision Making: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Microlevel Studies in Developed and Developing Countries, ed. G. F. DeJong and R. W. Gardner. New York: Pergamon Press Hujo, K and Piper, N. (2007). South–South Migration: Challenges for Development and Social Policy. Development, (1–7) Massey, D. S., Arango, J., Hugo, G., Kouaouci, A., Pellegrino, A. and Taylor, J. (1994). "An Evaluation of International Migration Theory: The North American Case." Population and Development Review 20:699–751. Ravenstein, E. G. (1889). The Laws of Migration. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society 52:245–301. Skeldon, R. (2008). Migration and Development: United Nations Expert Group Meeting on International Migration and Development in Asia and the Pacific. Bangkok, Thailand Taylor, J. E. (1999). The New Economics of Labor Migration and the Role of Remittances in the Migration Process. International Migration 37:63–88. Read More