1. Migration and development: actors,
challenges and opportunities
Stefan Rother
05 September 2012 People on the Move - Migration for Development

2. Webinar Sessions
Session 2:
The role of migrants in social economic development
Wednesday, 12 September 2012, 19.00h UTC+2
Speaker: Ronald Lucardie, EUNOMAD
Session 3:
Labour on the move – migrant workers as drivers for development?
Wednesday, 19 September 2012, 19.00h UTC+2
Speaker: Björn Gruber, GIZ
Session 4: Climate change induced displacement and migration
Wednesday, 26 September 2012, 19.00h UTC+2
Speaker: Sophia Wirsching, Brot für die Welt/Bread for the World
Session 5: Development potential beyond monetary remittances: Migration
and Civil Society
Tuesday, 2 October 2012, 19.00h UTC+2
Speakers: Anke Butscher, Consulting; Freda Marful, Clean Africa e.V.
Rother: Introduction Migration and Development

3. The GFMD: An opportunity…
PROTECTING AND EMPOWERING MIGRANTS FOR
DEVELOPMENT
SECOND MEETING OF THE GFMD (MANILA)
27-30 October 2008
Rother: Introduction Migration and Development

4. …or a threat?
Rother: Introduction Migration and Development

5. GFMD critique
Rother: Introduction Migration and Development

6. Divided views on migration and
development I
International Institutions, policy makers, think tanks, “diaspora”
organisations, some migration scholars:
-Development optimism, “new development mantra”
-Focus on monetary remittances and “diaspora” engagement
-Pilot projects, studies, reports from major organisations (UNDP Human
Development Report 2009: “Overcoming barriers: Human mobility and
development”)
-Websites, Handbooks (EC-UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative
(JMDI) http://www.migration4development.org/
-Example Handbook “A botttom-up approach to migration and development”:
- Small-scale actors: range of organizations from civil society, the public
and the private sector, including NGOs, migrant organizations,
grassroots organizations, local authorities, universities, research and
training institutes, micro-finance institutions, employer associations,
trade unions
- Social capital, financial capital, human capital, cultural capital
Rother: Introduction Migration and Development
.

7. Divided views on migration and
development II
Migrant rights organisations, grassroots organisations, trade unions,
social movement unions, critical migration scholars:
“(…) ask whether the celebration of migrants as the new heroes of
international development has always been ‘‘spin’’ and, if so, why there has
been this systematic perpetuation of delusions” (Nina Glick Schiller)
“Knowing that the nexus has been variously described as unsettled and, later,
as ‘‘hype’’ or a panacea for development, we wonder whether its history can be
likened to the story of ‘‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’’.” (Birgitte Mossin
Brønden)
“The Costs and Benefits of Migration to Sending States: the More You Look,
the Worse it Gets.”
“(…) rather than generate development, migration probably exacerbates the
economic, social and political problems that provoke migration in the first
place. Unless state leaders confront this reality, they will never escape it.”
(Rodolfo de la Garza)
Rother: Introduction Migration and Development

8. Migration and development – a new
debate or a “pendulum”? I
“The Migration and Development Pendulum” (Hein de Haas)
1950-1960s:
-Development optimism, migrants can contribute to the development of their
countries and communities of origin
-Acknowledgement of migrants‘ contribution to the development of the host
country (Germany 10 September 1964: Celebration of „Gastarbeiter“ number
„1 million“ from Portugal)
-1970s:
- development pessimism
- „brain drain“ debate: highly qualified workers leave their country of origin
-(see alo „brain gain“ and later „brain regain“)
Rother: Introduction Migration and Development

9. Migration and development – a new
debate or a “pendulum”? II
Since the 1990s two trends observable:
1. The securitization of migration
-„The old bogeyman image (Feindbild) of communism has been replaced by
the demonisation of migration“ (Karl-Heinz Meier-Braun)
-Migration perceived as a threat that disrupts the „natural“ unit / „container unit“
of the nation state
-Reinforced by the September 11 terrorist attacks
-Criminalization of migration, militarisation of borders, deportations
-Stricter asylum/visa policies
-EU: FRONTEX border patrols, EU Return Directive…
-
Rother: Introduction Migration and Development

10. Migration and development – a new
debate or a “pendulum”? III
Since the 1990s two trends observable:
2. The migration and development nexus
-The „new development mantra“ (Devesh Kapur)
-Triggered by the impressive amount of global remittances: In 2011, according
to World Bank 372 billion (Milliarden) US$ have been transfered to developing
countries – a 12,1 percent increase compared to 2010
-The „transnational turn“ (Glick Schiller et al.)
-Migrants keep sustained ties to their home communities
-Transnational social fields/spaces
-Social remittances (Peggy Levitt)
-
Rother: Introduction Migration and Development

11. Asessment: Migration and
development – the good…
Plus:
-Poverty reduction
-Framing of migration as a positive force that can foster development
-Triple-win-scenarios acknowledge migrants‘ contributions to the receiving
society
-Migration is discussed in the international arena instead of being exclusively
seen as „every (receiving) state‘s own business“
-Some policies that could be deemed pro-migrant in the receiving countries
(Blue Card, dual citizenship, debate on integration)
-Support for migrant organisations
-Research, pilot projects
Rother: Introduction Migration and Development

12. Assessment: Migration and
development – …the bad…
Minus:
-Limited evidence for development, job creation etc.; strong focus on
remittances
-Often unreflected use of controversial terms:
- Development – which development are we talking about?
- Circular migration: Very ambigiuos/undefined term – is the main goal
development or rather appeasement of xenophobic populations?
- Diasporas – unreflected, ahistorical term; assumes migrants to
constitute a homogenous group
- Migration management – suggest migration is a technical issue that can
be adressed by technical solutions from above
Rother: Introduction Migration and Development

13. Migration and development – …and
the ugly
Minus Minus:
-The praise for migrants as agents of development might deflect form the
failure of recieving countries to live up to their promises made in the MDGs
-Unlike refugees no „global governance of migration“ (GFMD: state-led,
informal; IOM: reports to member states, assists with deportations, both:
outside the UN)
-The financial, social and human costs of migration are largely ignored
-Philippine example:
-Case of „migration instead of development“
-Migrants are praised as „national heroes“ but there is widespread physical,
psychological and sexual abuse in the receiving countries (gender dimension –
migrant domestic workers, care workers, de-skilling)
Rother: Introduction Migration and Development

14. Solutions?
- Reframing the debate on migration and development
- More extensive concept of human development
- Rights-based approach: human rights, portable labour rights
- Regulation of „migration industry“
- Adress development obstacles in sending countries
- Multiple-entry-visas instead of limited circular migration programs
- Adress structural reasons for migration
- Bring the GFMD process back to the UN
- Ratification and implication of conventions, i.e. UN Migrant Workers
Convention, ILO convention 189 on decent work for domestic workers
Rother: Introduction Migration and Development

15. ILO Convention
Rother: Introduction Migration and Development