Social, Economic and Political Effects of Migration

Migration affects both the area of origin and the area of destination. Economic costs to the source country include:

• The loss of the young adults labour force
• The loss of those with skills and entrepreneurial talents, which may slow economic development
• Regions where out-migration takes place may suffer from a spiral of decline that is difficult to halt
• The loss of labour may deter inward investment by private organisations, increasing dependence on governmental initiatives.

Economic benefits:

• Reduced uner-employment in the source country
• Returning migrants bring new skills to the country, which may help revitalise the home economy
• Many migrants send remittances home ans much of this money is reinvested in the home economy in projects such as new buildings and services
• There is less pressure on resources in the area, including basic supplies such as food and essential services such as healthcare.

Social costs include:

• The precieved benefits of migration encourage more of the same generation to migrate, which has a detrimental effect on social structure
• There is a dispoportionate number of females left behind
• The non-return migrants causes an imbalance in the population pyramid
• Returning retired migrants may impose a social cost on the community if support mechanisms are not in place to cater for them.

Social benefits include:

• The population density is reduced and the birth rate decreases, as it is the younger adults that migrate
• Remittances sent home by economic migrants can finance improved education and health facilities
• Returning retired migrants increase social expectations in the community, for example, the demand for better leisure facilities.

Political effects include:

• Policies to encourage natural increase
• Policies to encourage immigration to counteract outflow or to develop resouces
• Request for international aid.

Economic costs include:

• the costs of educating migrants' children have to be borne
• there is an over-dependence of some industries on migrant labour e.g. the construction industry in the UK
• much of the money earned, including pension payments, is repatriated to the country of origin
• increased numbers of people add to the pressure on resources, such as healthcare services and education.

Economic benefits include:

• economic migrants tend to take up the less desirable jobs
• the host country gains skilled labour at reduced cost
• the 'skills gap' that exists in many host countries is fillied by qualified migrants
• cost of reirement are transferred back to the source country.

Social costs include:

• the dominance of males reinforced, especially in countries where the status of women is low - for example, in the Persian gulf states
• aspects of cultural indenity are lost, particularly among second-generation migrants
• segregated areas of similar ethnic groups are created, and schools are dominated by migrant children.

Social benefits include:

• creation of a multiethnic society increase understanding of other cultures
• there is an indlux of new and/or revitalised providers of local services - for example Turkish baths and local cornor shops
• there is a growth of ethnic retailing and areas assciated with ethnic food outlets - for example, the 'curry mile' in Rusholme, Manchester.

Political effects include:

• discrimination against ethnic groups and miniorities which may lead to civil unrest and extremism
• calls for controls on immigration
• entrenchment of attitudes which may encourage fundamentalism.