International migration, social science, and public policy
In: International social science journal: ISSJ, Heft 165
ISSN: 0020-8701
Identifies a number of challenges the social sciences will have to face in order to play a broader role in formulating international migration policies. This new role is subject to two major processes: globalisation and the universal acceptance of human rights. Both processes affect policy options, albeit from different perspectives. Recent research findings have confirmed that there is no direct link between poverty and South-North migration, despite the fact that many policy recommendations are based on this premise. Suggests that the contradiction between policy recommendations and research findings is due to the weight of economic theory in migration policy. (Original abstract - amended)