The Current Global Economic Crisis and Migration: Policies and Practice in Origin and Destination

Migration flows exhibit both long-term shifts and short-term fluctuations in terms of volume and pattern. The root causes of these shifts and fluctuations can most generally be linked to the term ‘development’.Thus, migration tends to be positively associated with development and, as development increases, migration patterns can be expected to shift in direction but are unlikely to decrease in volume. However, changes in the drivers of development and migration, particularly economic factors such as the rate of growth, employment creation or unemployment levels, may well produce short-term fluctuations in both volume and direction. Political and ideological factors can also introduce short-term fluctuations that can generate significant population flows in terms of forced displacement, producing new refugees and internally displaced persons. This paper looks at the trends in migration from the past and has an overview of the policy at certain countries of origin and destination. It then suggests some policy proposals and recommendations