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Migration in sub-Saharan Africa, as in the rest of the world, has always been an essential element in the historical processes of social, political and economic change. Development (however defined) and migration are intertwined in a set of complex, heterogeneous, and changing relationships in which causality is never one way. In short, migration can be seen as a both a cause and consequence of development and, equally, development is both a cause and consequence of migration. Until relatively recently, the analysis of the overlap between the two processes has often been relegated to the margins of development studies. It is only in the 2000s that questions about the extent to which migration can help or hinder development have moved to the center of both academic and policy agendas, including that of the field of political economy.

This paper looks at the relationship between migration between developing countries – or countries of the global 'South' – and processes of human development. The paper offers a critical analysis of the concept of South-South migration and draws attention to four fundamental problems. First, there is no clear definition of the boundaries between 'South' and 'North' and different organisations place different countries in different categories. Second, migration systems tend to cut cross such boundaries, wherever they are place. Third, there is no analytical basis for distinguishing between 'South' and 'North'; hence there is no rationale for assuming that South-South migration should be any different from South-North or North-North migration. Fourth, the available definitions of South and North change over time, creating difficulties for any longitudinal analysis. Having highlighted these problems, the paper then gives a broad overview of the changing patterns of migration in developing regions, with a particular focus on mobility within the African continent. It outlnes some of the economic, social and political drivers of migration within poor regions, noting that these are also drivers of migration in the rest of the world. It also highlights the role of the state in influencing people's movements and the outcomes of migration. The paper highlights the distinctive contribution that migration within developing regions makes to human development in terms of income, human capital and broader processes of social and political change. The paper concludes that the analysis of migration in poorer regions of the world and its relationship with human development requires much more data than is currently available. This should focus on understanding the role of migration (and mobility) in the lives of the poor. It is important to develop a much more sophisticated analysis of the differences in migration patterns across the world than that which can be achived by simply dividing the world into crude blocks of 'South' and ...

In the literature, there is a wide gulf between refugee studies & migration studies that can give rise to very different understandings of the needs & interests of the people who are moving. A case study of Angolans in Zambia examines how the movement of rural people across the border into Angola is perceived by villagers & the government & international community. It finds that most of those perceived as repatriating refugees by the government & UN bodies actually see themselves as villagers moving in search of better livelihoods in resource-rich Angola. The wide gap in understanding is a reflection of very different interests in the processes of integrating newcomers & controlling nationality & refugees. It results in interventions which are inappropriate as they aim to solve refugee problems seen by outsiders rather than responding to the priorities of local people. 1 Table, 32 References. Adapted from the source document.

It is not surprising that conflict and crisis are often seen as the dominant features moving across the across the socio-political landscape in the African Great Lakes. As a result, many areas of life are analysed in its shadow – politics, economics, cultural norms, and, most pertinent for this paper, mobility. Here, we propose a framework that examines the extent to which crisis and conflict overlay, contravene, and inform mobility in the African Great Lakes; and that tentatively explores these underlying mobility dynamics, which might be expected to remain when conflict and crisis subside. The framework draws from sociological theories of 'normal' life and agency to examine mobility by looking along three analytical dimensions: aspirations, norms, and practices. It is then tentatively applied to analyse migration associated with three underlying social processes that continue within the Great Lakes: migration relating to education, urbanisation, and family formation. The paper concludes with a reflection upon the challenges of applying this framework for empirical research in the Great Lakes region. We argue that adopting a life-course approach that views movement related to 'key, transitional events' during the span of a person's life may be particularly suited to operationalising this framework.

This paper draws on insights from the African Perspectives on Human Mobility research programme, which included four research teams based at universities in Ghana, Nigeria, Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The paper first provides some details on the background and findings of the projects conducted by the four teams in various African cities. It then turns to some reflections on the theoretical implications and questions raised by these research findings and presents four broad points. First, by showing African cities as a place of attraction for international migrants, these findings highlight the curious absence of other research into international migration towards other African cities. Second, the city is a zone of departure not just in terms of being a stepping stone to long-distance migration, but also in terms of being what we might call a 'forge' for migratory behaviour – where migration is shaped through urban life. Third, the paper draws attention to the different practices of integration and exclusion of migrants that are in evidence in these African cities, again observing the limited research in this area. Fourth, in contrast to the global cities literature, which largely bypasses the African continent, we note that the cities included in this study are clearly enmeshed in transnational and global networks, not merely as departure points for migrants, but also, significantly, as attractive spaces for migrants and mobile traders – for creativity, connections and exchange. The paper concludes by reflecting on how we might better understand the links between internal, regional and inter-continental migration in the context of Africa, suggesting that examining global African migrations in more detail may help us understand better the emergence of new migration systems.

This paper draws on insights from the African Perspectives on Human Mobility research programme, which included four research teams based at universities in Ghana, Nigeria, Morocco and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The paper first provides some details on the background and findings of the projects conducted by the four teams in various African cities. It then turns to some reflections on the theoretical implications and questions raised by these research findings and presents four broad points. First, by showing African cities as a place of attraction for international migrants, these findings highlight the curious absence of other research into international migration towards other African cities. Second, the city is a zone of departure not just in terms of being a stepping stone to long-distance migration, but also in terms of being what we might call a 'forge' for migratory behaviour – where migration is shaped through urban life. Third, the paper draws attention to the different practices of integration and exclusion of migrants that are in evidence in these African cities, again observing the limited research in this area. Fourth, in contrast to the global cities literature, which largely bypasses the African continent, we note that the cities included in this study are clearly enmeshed in transnational and global networks, not merely as departure points for migrants, but also, significantly, as attractive spaces for migrants and mobile traders – for creativity, connections and exchange. The paper concludes by reflecting on how we might better understand the links between internal, regional and inter-continental migration in the context of Africa, suggesting that examining global African migrations in more detail may help us understand better the emergence of new migration systems.

Drivers can be understood as forces leading to the inception of migration and the perpetuation of movement. This article considers key drivers of migration and explores different ways that they may be configured. We modify existing explanations of migration to generate a framework which we call push-pull plus. To understand migration flows better, analysts could usefully distinguish between predisposing, proximate, precipitating and mediating drivers. Combinations of such drivers shape the conditions, circumstances and environment within which people choose to move or stay put, or have that decision thrust upon them. In any one migration flow, several driver complexes may interconnect to shape the eventual direction and nature of movement. The challenge is to establish when and why some drivers are more important than others, which combinations are more potent than others, and which are more susceptible to change through external intervention. Drawing on Afghan and Somali movements featuring 'mixed migration', the article concludes that proximate and mediating drivers, rather than those in the structural and precipitating spheres, appear to offer greater potential for intervention. To be effective, though, migration policy should be understood not simply as a stand-alone lever, but within the wider political economy.

This paper looks at the relationship between migration between developing countries – or countries of the global 'South' – and processes of human development. The paper offers a critical analysis of the concept of South-South migration and draws attention to four fundamental problems. First, there is no clear definition of the boundaries between 'South' and 'North' and different organisations place different countries in different categories. Second, migration systems tend to cut cross such boundaries, wherever they are place. Third, there is no analytical basis for distinguishing between 'South' and 'North'; hence there is no rationale for assuming that South-South migration should be any different from South-North or North-North migration. Fourth, the available definitions of South and North change over time, creating difficulties for any longitudinal analysis. Having highlighted these problems, the paper then gives a broad overview of the changing patterns of migration in developing regions, with a particular focus on mobility within the African continent. It outlines some of the economic, social and political drivers of migration within poor regions, noting that these are also drivers of migration in the rest of the world. It also highlights the role of the state in influencing people's movements and the outcomes of migration. The paper highlights the distinctive contribution that migration within developing regions makes to human development in terms of income, human capital and broader processes of social and political change. The paper concludes that the analysis of migration in poorer regions of the world and its relationship with human development requires much more data than is currently available. This should focus on understanding the role of migration (and mobility) in the lives of the poor. It is important to develop a much more sophisticated analysis of the differences in migration patterns across the world than that which can be achieved by simply dividing the world into crude blocks of 'South' ...