HDI (Human Development Index)
- What is it?
- What measures does it use?
Socio-Economic measure of development
Score from 0-1 combining:
- income (GDP per capita)
- Knowledge (literacy rates & no. children in school)
- longevity (life expectancy)
What are migrant remittances?
Money transferred by a foreign worker back to their country of origin to family or friends
Advantages of remittances over foreign aid?
Money sent directly to poor families who need money to reduce poverty
Less impacted by economic declines
How much money is sent in remittances compares to foreign aid?
Remittances = $413 billion
Foreign aid = $135 billion
What do poor families spend remittances on?
- education
- surgeries
- business
- homes
Top remittance receiving countries
- India = 72.2 billion
- China
- Mexico
What is the relationship between migrant remittances and HDI?
The higher the HDI, the lower value of migrant remittances the country receives
What migrants are rich countries attracting? Example of UK and statistic.
- High skilled migrants such nurses and doctors to fill the shortage in UK
- 60% Gambia’s uni graduates now live as US residents
What effect does high skilled workers migrating have on the country of origin?
(advantages and disadvantages)
Disadvantage = Causes ‘brain drain’ - lose their most skilled/educated workers, and money spent on educating them
Advantage = they receive migrant remittances and new ideas from returning migrants
Positive impacts of migration
- stability
- economic growth
- development
Positive impacts of migration: STABILITY
- Remittances of money and ideas (eg democracy, human rights) resolve conflict
- Young population immigrating balance ageing population
Positive impacts of migration: STABILITY
Example?
Haiti (poorest country in Western Hemisphere)
Remittances represent 25% of their GDP, mostly spent on education (youths in remittance households more likely to attend private schools)
Positive impacts of migration: ECONOMIC GROWTH
- increased taxes from working migrants
- migrant join consumer culture
- migrants fill labour shortage
- remittances cause multiple effect
Positive impacts of migration: ECONOMIC GROWTH
Example?
Nepal
poverty rate reduced from 42% to 31% due to remittances invested to escape poverty cycle between 1995-2005
Positive impacts of migration: DEVELOPMENT
- skills/knowledge of returning migrants
- migrants create networks/diaspora creating flow of resources/skills
Positive impacts of migration: DEVELOPMENT
Example?
India
Benefitting from business in the US, technology companies outsourcing work to India
Negative impacts of migration
- conflicts
- inequalities
- injustices
Negative impacts of migration: INEQUALITIES
- ‘brain drain’ (loss of young, fit labour force) increases inequality between AC’s and developing countries
- Remittances cause inequality between those who do/don’t receive them
Negative impacts of migration: INEQUALITIES
Example?
Africa
60% of Gambia’s uni graduates are now US residents
Negative impacts of migration: CONFLICTS
- between host country and immigrants (language/cultural barriers)
- immigrant concentrated areas put pressure on services
- international borders as sites of trafficking
Negative impacts of migration: CONFLICTS
Example?
Canada’s talent based policies
Canada attempts to draw most talented US citizens to Canada, causing tension (‘brain drain’)
Negative impacts of migration: INJUSTICES
- migrants vulnerable to violation of human rights (eg trafficking, forced labour
- Asylum seekers held in camps in poor conditions with risk of being sent home to risky environments
Negative impacts of migration: INJUSTICES
Example?
‘The Jungle’ in Calais
Refugee camp, long stretches of barbed wire to stop asylum seekers (treated badly in poor conditions)
