Throughout the world, migration is an increasingly important and diverse component of population change, both at national and sub-national levels. Migration impacts on the distribution of knowledge and generates externalities and spillover effects. This book focuses on recent models and methods for analysing and forecasting migration, as well as on the basic trends, driving factors and institutional settings behind migration processes. Migration and Human Capital also looks at many current policy issues regarding migration, such as the creative class in metropolitan areas, the brain drain, regional diversity, population ageing, illegal immigration, ethnic networks and immigrant assimilation. With specific reference to Europe and North America, the book reviews and applies models of internal migration; analyses the spatial concentration of human capital; considers migration in a family context; and addresses the political economy of international migration. This book will be invaluable for researchers and policy makers in the fields of internal and international migration. It provides up-to-date readings for advanced courses that focus on migration and population change in a global context.

This important and timely book is at the forefront of the increasing interest in regional competitiveness in the face of ever stronger global forces. Distinguished contributors discuss issues including the impact and implications of European expansion as well as developments in the Asia-Pacific region. They also examine the driving forces, backgrounds, obstacles and opportunities for regions to become powerful global players. This highly topical book contains a wealth of empirical material and is underpinned by a thorough investigation of the theory and methodology of policy strategies for the positioning of regions in the new global economy. It will be a major source of reference for scholars, policymakers, economic planners and institutions alike in the field of regional science.

The populations of many countries in the world are becoming more culturally diverse. This spurs a growing need for an informed debate on the socio-economic implications of cultural diversity. This book offers a solid statistical and econometric perspective on this topical subject by bringing together studies from different countries in Europe and North America.The research in this volume sheds light on several consequences of cultural diversity, including positive impacts on innovation, growth and entrepreneurship. The original and quantitative contributions also highlight the negative social effects on communities. Throughout the volume, it is evident that the effects of cultural diversity on socio-economic outcomes depend largely on the characteristics of local economies, populations and communities. Utilising a broad spectrum of research methods over a multitude of research areas, this comprehensive overview of the socio-economic impacts of cultural diversity is a valuable resource for students and academics. Contributors: I. Abdulloev, M. Aleksynska, J. Bakens, W. Bernasco, M.R. Betz, S. Brunow, B.R. Chiswick, G.S. Epstein, I.N. Gang, M. Gheasi, J. Hartog, I. Lobach, J. Moehlmann, M. Nathan, P. Nijkamp, M.R. Olfert, B.J. Osoba, M.D. Partridge, G. Peri, J. Poot, E. Pungas, P. Rietveld, K. Shih, B. Stockinger, T.Tammaru, O. Toomet, A. Tubadji, A. Zorlu

During the last few decades the world has experienced an unprecedented level of cross-border migration. While this has generated significant socio-economic gains for host countries, as well as sometimes for the countries of origin, the costs and benefits involved are unevenly distributed. Consequently, growing global population mobility is a hotly debated topic, both in the political arena and by the general public. Amidst a plethora of facts, opinions and emotions, the assessment of migration impacts must be grounded in a solid scientific evidence base. This analytical book outlines and applies a range of the scientific methods that are currently available in migration impact assessment (MIA). The book provides various North American and European case studies that quantify socio-economic consequences of migration for host societies and for immigrants themselves. With up-to-date and broad coverage, this detailed study will appeal to academic researchers in the social sciences, policy analysts at national and international level, as well as graduate students in economics and regional science. Contributors: T. Baycan, J. Clemente, H. Croes, P.S. Davies, A. Faggian, M. Genc, M. Gheasi, M.J. Greenwood, G. Guerra, P. Hooimeijer, G.L. Hunt, M. Kangasniemi, M. Kauhanen, U. Kohli, G. Larramona, R. Maggi, E. Masurel, P. Nijkamp, G.I.P. Ottaviano, C. Ozgen, M.D. Partridge, R. Patuelli, G. Peri, J. Poot, D.S. Rickman, M. Sahin, M. Tienda, A. Todiras

This volume brings together a range of contributions that provide contemporary regional science perspectives on population change and its socio-economic consequences in the Asia-Pacific region. This region accounts for close to two-thirds of the world's population and is highly diverse in terms of key demographic indicators such as population size, growth, composition and distribution. The authors provide quantitative assessments, either descriptively or by means of modelling, of important demographic issues affecting this part of the world. The topics addressed include: broad demographic trends across the Asia-Pacific region and its sub-regions; assessment of population decline, urbanization and spatial distribution using cases from China, Colombia, Japan and Australia; migration and economic impacts in Australasia, Chile and Timor Leste; and the impacts of declining or low fertility and population ageing in China, India, Thailand, and across Asia. Given its scope, the book will appeal to all readers seeking to understand population change and impacts across the Asia-Pacific region, with a specific focus on sub-regional differences and dynamics.

Published in 1998. Migration patterns at the global level have become more complex, affecting more countries, more people and for a greater variety of reasons. Consequently, international migration is receiving increasing attention throughout the world. Migration is an inherently spatial phenomenon. But while the spatial patterns themselves have been described in recent surveys of global contemporary international migration, the causes and consequences of the spatial patterns have received surprisingly little systematic attention. Often migration is seen just from a host country perspective, or from a sending country perspective, without explicit consideration of the sub-national origin and destinations of the flows or linkages between countries. It is well known that migration flows follow certain gravity-like properties, that there is chain migration, that certain regions attract more migrants than others, that migrants are highly urbanised, and that within urban areas there are also concentrations of migrants leading to a reshaping of the urban landscape. However, such observations are often the result of purely descriptive research or case study research. Consequently, there is still a need for an integrated multi-disciplinary study of the spatial impact and the resulting socio-economic and political issues concerning migration. This book aims to fill this gap by bringing together a collection of papers which are primarily concerned with the spatial impact of contemporary international migration patterns, or with related issues. The topics of the papers are wide ranging and the focus varies from broad international perspectives to specific urban areas. Two general themes run through the papers. The first of these is that migration is an inherently dynamic process which may have either equilibrating or self-reinforcing (cumulative) effects. The importance of considering international migration in a dynamic context has come to the fore in several theoretical frameworks which are available in the literature to study this phenomenon. The second major theme of the book is the emphasis on the importance of personal networks in shaping international migration patterns, leading to pronounced clusters of (urban) areas from which migrants are drawn and of migrant settlement.

On the Edge of the Global Economy contends that despite growing global economic integration, some nations continue to be disadvantaged by remoteness, low connectivity, a small-scale economy and low population density. The book concludes that these economies may nonetheless have significant potential, for example through offering an attractive natural environment, a pleasant climate, various types of niche production and customised services that can lure footloose firms and mobile workers. The contributors review the issues and assess the empirical evidence regarding the various opportunities and challenges facing small remote economies in the global economy. They find that locality and proximity still matter, but that the global economic configuration also offers new opportunities to peripheral nations. Expanding the literature on a somewhat neglected aspect of globalisation, this book will be of great interest to economists, geographers and other researchers specialising in globalisation and related topics. In addition, it will be very useful to policymakers in small remote economies.

Published in 1998. Migration patterns at the global level have become more complex, affecting more countries, more people and for a greater variety of reasons. Consequently, international migration is receiving increasing attention throughout the world. Migration is an inherently spatial phenomenon. But while the spatial patterns themselves have been described in recent surveys of global contemporary international migration, the causes and consequences of the spatial patterns have received surprisingly little systematic attention. Often migration is seen just from a host country perspective, or from a sending country perspective, without explicit consideration of the sub-national origin and destinations of the flows or linkages between countries. It is well known that migration flows follow certain gravity-like properties, that there is chain migration, that certain regions attract more migrants than others, that migrants are highly urbanised, and that within urban areas there are also concentrations of migrants leading to a reshaping of the urban landscape. However, such observations are often the result of purely descriptive research or case study research. Consequently, there is still a need for an integrated multi-disciplinary study of the spatial impact and the resulting socio-economic and political issues concerning migration. This book aims to fill this gap by bringing together a collection of papers which are primarily concerned with the spatial impact of contemporary international migration patterns, or with related issues. The topics of the papers are wide ranging and the focus varies from broad international perspectives to specific urban areas. Two general themes run through the papers. The first of these is that migration is an inherently dynamic process which may have either equilibrating or self-reinforcing (cumulative) effects. The importance of considering international migration in a dynamic context has come to the fore in several theoretical frameworks which are available in the literature to study this phenomenon. The second major theme of the book is the emphasis on the importance of personal networks in shaping international migration patterns, leading to pronounced clusters of (urban) areas from which migrants are drawn and of migrant settlement.

This volume brings together a range of contributions that provide contemporary regional science perspectives on population change and its socio-economic consequences in the Asia-Pacific region. This region accounts for close to two-thirds of the world's population and is highly diverse in terms of key demographic indicators such as population size, growth, composition and distribution. The authors provide quantitative assessments, either descriptively or by means of modelling, of important demographic issues affecting this part of the world. The topics addressed include: broad demographic trends across the Asia-Pacific region and its sub-regions; assessment of population decline, urbanization and spatial distribution using cases from China, Colombia, Japan and Australia; migration and economic impacts in Australasia, Chile and Timor Leste; and the impacts of declining or low fertility and population ageing in China, India, Thailand, and across Asia. Given its scope, the book will appeal to all readers seeking to understand population change and impacts across the Asia-Pacific region, with a specific focus on sub-regional differences and dynamics.