We checked 7 migration studies journals on Friday, January 17, 2025 using the Crossref API. For the period January 10 to January 16, we retrieved 16 new paper(s) in 6 journal(s).

Comparative Migration Studies

How urban welfare affects the hukou selection of rural migrants that belong to dual-hukou families in china
Chen Lu, Jian Chen, Jiewei Li, Xuetong Wang
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Despite the Chinese government’s implementation of numerous policies aimed at promoting urbanization, the actual urbanization rate has not met expectations. Even when some rural migrants are presented with opportunities to convert to urban-hukou status, an increasing number of families opt to maintain a dual-hukou arrangement (where one spouse holds rural-hukou and the other holds urban-hukou ). This phenomenon has garnered significant attention; however, the impact of diverse access to urban welfare on migrants’ hukou selection has been underexplored in existing research on hukou conversion. Access to urban welfare emerges as a critical factor influencing hukou selection decisions. This study constructs an analytical framework to examine the hukou arrangements of dual-hukou families, exploring the effects of various factors related to urban welfare acquisition on the hukou selection of rural migrants. Empirical results indicate that within dual-hukou families, migrants with rural-hukou status can obtain urban welfare through family support or market purchases. Consequently, to maximize family benefits, they prefer to retain their rural-hukou status rather than convert to urban-hukou . Conversely, possession of a qualification certificate from the host city negatively impacts rural-hukou retention. Additionally, rural migrants in dual-hukou families tend to favor cities with high-value hukou and express a desire to convert to local hukou status. These findings offer robust insights for policymaking, demonstrating resilience against sample self-selection bias and reverse causality.
Civil society organisations and the local politics of migration: how funding contexts matter
Christine Lang, Elisabeth Badenhoop
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Migration studies have highlighted the crucial role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in the local politics of migration. Less explored is the impact of the material conditions under which CSOs operate. And yet CSOs delivering public services to migrant and racialised populations often rely on public funding which has been significantly restructured since neoliberal welfare reforms in many Western countries in the 1990s. This article examines how funding contexts shape the opportunities of CSOs to influence local policymaking on migration and migration-related change from a cross-country and cross-city comparative perspective. Based on the empirical analysis of four cities in France and Germany and a comprehensive dataset comprising interviews, observations and documents, we argue that funding contexts significantly impact on CSOs’ potential to shape local policymaking. They do so by enhancing and restricting (1) CSOs’ access to spaces of policymaking as well as (2) CSOs’ capacities for political engagement. We demonstrate the mediating importance of specific funding structures and politics at both national and local scales as well as the role of state-CSO relations in manifesting and reproducing these funding contexts.
‘This settlement is just a launch pad to move to better city spaces’: radical sense of place and migration aspirations among youth migrants in the diaspora
Johannes Bhanye, Abraham Matamanda, Ruvimbo Shayamunda
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This ethnographic study investigates the perceptions of place and migration aspirations among young migrants within the Malawian diaspora in Lydiate, an informal settlement in Zimbabwe. Unlike traditional conceptions of diaspora that emphasize long-term settlement and place attachment, this study introduces the concept of a ‘radical sense of place,’ where the settlement is viewed not as a permanent home but as a temporary staging ground for future aspirations. Through qualitative data collected between 2018 and 2020, including participant observations and in-depth interviews with young migrants aged 15 to 35, this research explores how these youths strategically navigate their socio-economic marginalization. The findings reveal that young migrants perceive their settlement as a launch pad to better opportunities in more affluent urban areas, driven by a combination of harsh living conditions and the allure of urban life. This perspective challenges existing migration theories by highlighting the temporary and strategic relationships with place among diaspora youths. The study also highlights the interplay between age, identity, and aspirations, showcasing the pivotal role these factors play in shaping the radical decisions of young migrants. While young migrants exhibit resilience in the migration process, they also face social exclusion, lack of social protection, and the risk of abuse and discrimination. The study advocates for policies tailored to address the specific conditions and vulnerabilities faced by youths in diaspora ethnic enclaves, promoting avenues for meaningful employment and advocating for youth migration based on informed choices rather than forced migration.
Refugee securitization and the challenges of formal integration: case of Somali refugees in Kenya and Ethiopia
Fred N. Ikanda, Abdirahman A. Muhumad, Jana Kuhnt
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Securitization of refugees and migrants is a growing global phenomenon that is well illustrated by how refugee camps have emerged as governmental technologies of control in major host countries across the world. Policymakers and the media prominently feature the migration-security connection and depict refugees as threats to internal security, linking their presence to acts of terrorism and crime. This article examines how the securitization of Somali refugees in Kenya and Ethiopia, the two main host countries for this refugee group, has hindered their formal integration and exacerbated policies of encampment in these countries. Drawing on securitization theory, we highlight the discrimination of Somali refugees in Kenya and Ethiopia by demonstrating how this refugee group is seen as a specific security threat and treated differently from other refugee groups in these countries. A history of border conflicts that shaped the relationship between refugee hosting areas and the national governments long before the advent of camps, coupled with shared Somaliness between locals and refugees in hosting areas, and the back-and-forth refugee movements across international borders have created a confluence of factors that reinforce suspicion and distrust towards Somali refugees. The article adds a normative empirical dimension to securitization theory by providing a nuanced understanding of the concept as it applies to different refugee groups in similar contexts. It also contributes to refugee and migration literature by arguing that although shared Somaliness with locals has strengthened the informal integration of Somali refugees in the two study contexts, the same ties have also provided justification for securitizing this refugee group and denied it from benefitting from progressive laws on formal integration that are being implemented for other refugee groups.

Ethnic and Racial Studies

Introduction
John Solomos
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International Migration

Afterword: Migration's longue Durée
Eric Tagliacozzo
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Letter from the Editors
Ahmet İçduygu, Jan Rath, Deniz Sert, AyƟen ÜstĂŒbici
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A new index for climate‐induced migration uncertainty
Sulaiman Salisu, Afees Salisu
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The impact of climate change on the world has been significant, leading to various efforts to reduce its risks. This study aims to create a new index to measure the uncertainty surrounding migration due to climate change. It uses a range of international newspapers with a global readership. Although climate change has increasingly influenced migration decisions in vulnerable areas, there is still a lack of quantitative research exploring this connection, which our study aims to address. The index indicates a growing trend in climate‐induced migration decisions, especially over the last two decades, supporting the study's purpose. We also present empirical results that validate the depressing effect of the uncertainty index on per Capita GDP growth at global, regional and country‐specific levels. The index has various practical applications and can be useful for future research.
Resettled Iraqi refugees in the United States: War, refuge, belonging, participation and protest By JaredKeyel, Oxford: Berghahn Books. 2023. pp. 185
Zainab Saleh
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Urban food insecurity and its determinants among migrant households
Adrino Mazenda, Catherine Althaus, Massimiliano Tani
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This study utilized the Linear Probability Model to examine the determinants of food insecurity among migrant households in the Gauteng City region of South Africa. 13,616 households were selected using random sampling and a cross‐section design. The study findings showed that age and level of education reduce the probability of skipping a meal among internal and international migrant households. Having medical aid is negatively associated with food insecurity – a sign of affordability. Part‐time jobs increase the likelihood of experiencing food insecurity for both internal and international migrants. Access to indigency and government support were associated with a higher probability of food insecurity among international migrants. Government support in food parcels is also associated with food insecurity for internal migrants. In contrast, ethnicity has no statistically significant effect on food security for internal migrants relative to native residents. Policy focus on inclusivity in social service provision, employment access and urban agriculture can likely help improve the food insecurity status of internal and international migrant households in the Gauteng City Region.

International Migration Review

Age at Migration and the Political Integration of Immigrants — Evidence From a Sibling Analysis
Henrik Andersson, Sirus Dehdari, Karl Oskar Lindgren
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We study the effect of age at migration among immigrants in Sweden on political participation as adults. To identify the effect, we use validated individual turnout data over three elections in Sweden (1994, 2010, and 2018), and compare outcomes among siblings who arrive at the same time but at different ages. We document a clear effect on political participation from early arrival: immigrants arriving in early childhood (ages 0–5) are about 5 to 10 percentage points more likely to partake in national elections as adults compared to immigrants arriving later (ages 12–17) during their childhood. We further show that the effect is partially persistent over the life-cycle.
Book Review: Fragments of Home
Romola Sanyal
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Good Jobs or Bad Jobs? Immigrant Workers in the Gig Economy
Cathy Yang Liu, Rory Renzy
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New work arrangements enabled by online platforms, or gig work, saw substantive growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. Various estimates have suggested the wide participation of workers in the gig economy, with minority and immigrant workers well represented. The quality of work is a multi-dimensional concept that goes beyond earnings. One framework of good jobs and bad jobs centers on control over work schedule, content and duration, stability, safety, benefits and insurance, as well as career advancement opportunities. Using a newly released national survey focused on entrepreneurs and workers in the United States, we find that about 18.5 percent immigrant workers and 21.1 percent native-born workers participated in the gig economy as their primary or secondary job. In terms of job quality, immigrant gig workers work shorter hours and have significantly less fringe benefits than non-gig workers as well as U.S.-born gig workers, reflecting a double disadvantage. However, they tend to have higher entrepreneurial aspirations, suggesting the transient nature of gig arrangements and potential for career advancements. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the characteristics and implication of immigrants’ engagement with the gig economy and offers policy and theoretical discussions.
The 2016 United States Election and Financial Support to Migrant-Serving Legal-Aid Organizations
Juan Pedroza, Stephanie Potochnick, Robert Santillano
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The 2016 US election of Donald Trump ushered in a wave of anti-immigrant rhetoric and federal policies that have been shown to harm immigrant families. This study examines how the election affected immigrant-serving community-based organizations (CBOs), which provide vital support to these communities and may mitigate harm. Focusing on migrant-legal CBOs — a key subset that offers pro-bono or low-cost legal services — and incorporating theories from organizations, social movements, and political opportunity, we assess whether these organizations were able to leverage the election as a focusing event to attract funding and whether they sustained this support over time. Using Internal Revenue Service records, we identify migrant-legal aid CBOs with a track record of delivering legal services to immigrant communities. Using synthetic control methods, we find that financial resources to migrant-legal CBOs increased from 4 to 11 percentage points during the 2016 election, and were 8 to 17 percentage points higher through 2019, the last year of available data. Our study shows that amid the shifting anti-immigrant policy climate of the Trump election, migrant-legal CBOs mobilized as a counterforce, using the socio-political landscape and public response as an opportunity to secure and sustain financial support, potentially acting as a safeguard against the escalating anti-immigrant climate.

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

Voting with their dollars: partisan donations of United States emigrants
Anca Turcu, R. Urbatsch
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Population Space and Place

After Returning to the Rural: The (Un)Sustainable Reintegration of Internal Migrant Workers in China
Mengyao Cheng, Mingge An, Hongze Tan
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The return of internal migrant workers to rural regions following prolonged periods of employment in cities is an increasingly prominent phenomenon in China. Researchers have examined return migration patterns, but investigating the intricacies of the reintegration process demands more highly sophisticated measurement approaches and warrants deeper empirical investigation. In this study, a comprehensive evaluation framework is designed for assessing reintegration outcomes on three interconnected dimensions: economic re‐engagement, social‐rebonding, and psychological re‐affiliation. By applying this framework to the analysis of data from the 2014 China Labour Force Dynamic Survey, we find that approximately half of returnees meet the defined thresholds for successful reintegration into rural society. There are considerable difficulties associated with economic reintegration, which underscores the need to provide enhanced economic support mechanisms for returning internal migrants. The main socio‐geographical factors contributing to successful reintegration include being in the middle‐to‐late stages of the working age, male gender, living with a spouse, returning with family, having interprovincial migration experience, and extended duration of return. This study enhances the comprehension of the challenges faced by returning migrant workers and provides analytical instruments and perspectives that can be used to deepen the understanding of internal migration issues in China and beyond.