International Migration at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century: Global Trends and Issues
Author(s)
Castles, Stephen
Abstract
Globalisation leads to increases in all kinds of cross-border flows, including movements of people. In recent years international migration has grown in volume, and is now an important factor of social transformation in all regions of the world. States classify migrants into certain categories, and seek to encourage certain types of mobility while restricting others. However, control measures are often ineffective if they are not based on understanding of the economic, social and cultural dynamics of migration. The article reviews causes and patterns of migration, and discusses some key issues: migration and development, international cooperation, settlement and ethnic diversity, and migration as a challenge to the nation-state. It is argued that most national governments have taken a short-term and reactive approach to migration. Efforts at international regulation are also relatively under-developed. There is a need for long-term cooperative strategies to achieve agreed goals such as: ensuring orderly migration and preventing exploitation by agents and recruiters; safeguarding the human rights of migrants; making migration an instrument of sustainable development; avoiding conflicts with populations of migrant-receiving areas, and maximising positive aspects of social and cultural change.
