The Social and Economic Origins of Immigration

In: The annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Band 510, S. 60-72

Abstract

The social & economic foundations of contemporary immigration patterns from developing to developed regions is examined. Common misconceptions stress the role of wage differentials between sending & receiving nations & lack of economic development in sending regions, but immigration appears to originate from the spread of economic development in Third World nations & the demand for low-wage labor in developed countries. The social foundations of immigration stem from the formation of migrant social networks, sets of interpersonal relations that link together migrants, former migrants, & nonmigrants in sending & receiving regions. Social networks provide momentum to the immigration process & lead to self-perpetuation despite recession, restrictive immigration policies, & decreasing wage differentials. Implications of the overemphasis on wages as a determinant of immigration for policy are discussed. 1 Table. D. Generoli