2.2 Internal migration

Question 1

How can the causes of internal migration be divided into?

Answer 1

• Macro level dimension
• Meso level dimension
• Micro level dimension

Question 2

The macro level dimension

Answer 2

• Highlights socio economic differences at the national scale
• Focusing on the core periphery concept
• Colonial era: migration was encouraged to labour intensive ventures => land was restricted access to locals. Cash based trade replaced bartering => forced people to move to earn a salary
• Post colonial: Exacerbated the move of people from periphery to core due to the investment taking place. Neglect to rural economy

Question 3

The meso level dimension

Answer 3

• Includes more detailed consideration of factors at origin and destination that influence people’s migration decisions
• Push pull factors e.g. Lee, Todaro and Stark
• Focus on perception rather than facts (not whether there are better wages but does the migrant think there will be better wages)

Question 4

The micro level dimension

Answer 4

• Specific circumstances of individual families and communities in terms of urban contact are crucial when deciding (especially when long distances are involved)
• Contacts frequently usually results in chain migration

Question 5

Political impacts of internal migration

Answer 5

• Lower political representation occurs when migration results in depopulation. All benefits go to the core => periphery remains as the detriment.
• In contrast where population is growing rapidly => political voice will become more important => able to influence government’s decision making process
• Change the ethnic composition of a region which can result in tension. e.g. In Niger Delta, most jobs are given t the major ethnic groups - Igbo, Yoruba, Hausa => other ethnic groups have high level of resentment => cause of the development of the armed force

Question 6

Environmental impacts of internal migration

Answer 6

• Expansion of urban area => swallow up farmland, forests, floodplains => increased pollution
• The carrying capacity might be exceeded => requires higher biocapacity => demand for resources such as water, coal, wood and the expansion of landfill sites

Question 7

Define remittanes

Answer 7

Money sent home to families by migrants working elsewhere

Question 8

Socio-economic impacts of internal migration

Answer 8

• Providing inputs such as remittances and newly acquire skills
• Promotes development in rural areas
• Narrows regional disparities and eventually makes migration unnecessary
• Uneven spread of the population and workforce

Question 9

Impact on population structures

Answer 9

• Population pyramids in rural areas show the loss of young adults
• May also show a distinct difference between number of males and females leaving. Males > females, though, in some areas female outmigration may be at a higher level (Ravenstein’s theory links)

Question 10

Middle income sector intra urban movements

Answer 10

• Inner city during childhood
• CBD during pre parenthood (rented room/home)
• Between inner suburbs and inner city during child rearing (starter home owned)
• Inner suburbs when having children (family home owned)
• Outer suburbs during grandparenthood (retirement bungalow owned)

Question 11

Low income sector intra urban movements

Answer 11

• Lives in inner city during childhood
• Spends most of their lives living in CBD
• Moves to inner suburbs/outer suburbs during grandparenthood

Question 12

Causes of intra urban movements

Answer 12

• Movements are closely related to stages in the family life cycle with the available housing stock being a major determinant of where people live at different stages in their lives
• Pre-parenthood: lives in CBD due to close commute to workplace as this is the time when they focuses on making a living
• Grandparenthood: lives in the suburbs to avoid pollution in the city

Question 13

Define counterurbanisation

Answer 13

Process of population decentralisation as people move from large urban areas to smaller urban settlements or rural areas

Question 14

Causes of counterurbanisation

Answer 14

• Better quality of life - less pollution, cleaner and more quiet
• Crime found in urban areas
• Want larger houses with cheaper prices
• Lack of working opportunities, hard to earn a job

Question 15

Effects of counterurbanisation

Answer 15

• Cities can shrink in size, and the demographic and economic of their areas can undergo significant change.
• Country villages are becoming increasingly suburbanised
• House prices can be pushed up locally as migrants sell expensive city properties and earn higher city wages
• Businesses are attracted to suburbanised villages causes the closures of village businesses due to incompetence