This subfield examines the determinants and consequences of labor mobility, migration patterns, and their impact on labor markets.
Economic Theory of Migration: This topic focuses on the economic theories that explain why people move from one place to another. It includes theories like the human capital theory, the network theory, and the dual labor market theory.
Push and Pull Factors: This refers to the factors that motivate people to leave their homes (push) and the factors that draw them to another location (pull).
Labor Markets: This topic examines the labor markets in terms of the supply and demand of labor. Different factors like education, work experience, and skill level affect labor market outcomes.
Immigrant Assimilation: As people move from one culture to another, they must learn the norms, customs, and social norms of their new society.
Immigration Policies and Laws: The laws and policies designed to control both legal and illegal immigration, including quotas, entry requirements, and border controls.
Remittances and the Development Impact of Migration: Remittances refer to the money that migrants send back to their home countries. This topic explores the impact of these remittances on the development of the migrant's home country.
Brain Drain: Migration may cause a “brain drain,” where skilled individuals leave their home country and cause a shortage in professionals in their respective field.
Refugee Resettlement: The challenges of resettling refugees in a new country and the impacts of refugee resettlement on the host country.
Wage Differentials: This topic examines wage differences between different regions and countries.
Education and Training: Education and training play an important role in mobility and migration. It defines an individual’s human capital and determines the types of jobs they can get in their home country or elsewhere.
Demographics: Determining the impact of an aging population on migration patterns and the labor force.
Multinational Corporations: The role of multinational corporations and how they affect mobility and migration in different countries.
Migration and Gender: The challenges women face when migrating to new countries, and how that changes the dynamic of the home and host countries.
Perception of Migration: Factors that affect the perception of migration, such as cultural stereotypes and misleading information.
Economic Impacts of Migration: How migration influences the economy of both the home country and the host country.
Internal Migration: Moving from one region or province to another within the same country. This may involve shifting from a rural to an urban area or from one urban area to another.
External Migration: Moving from one country to another. This can be permanent or temporary and includes various reasons, such as employment opportunities, higher education, and family reunification.
Seasonal Migration: Moving from one place to another for a temporary period to take advantage of seasonal work opportunities such as agricultural, tourism, or construction work.
Rural-Urban Migration: Moving from a rural area to an urban area in search of employment opportunities or better living conditions.
Forced Migration: Occurs when people are compelled to move from their place of origin due to reasons such as war, natural disasters, or political oppression.
Refugee Migration: Similar to forced migration, this involves movement from one country to another, but it is due to being persecuted or unable to return to their homeland for fear of persecution.
Brain Drain: A situation where highly skilled and educated people emigrate from one country to another, leaving behind a shortage of such individuals in their home country.
Circular Migration: Occurs when people move between two or more places, usually between their home country and another country, for work, education, or family reasons.
Reverse Migration: Moving back to one's place of origin after a period of living and working elsewhere.
Internal Displacement: People who are forced to flee their homes due to conflict or other reasons but remain within the boundaries of their own country.