Globalisation and social transformation theorists have paid significantly less attention to the movement of people than they have to the movement of capital. This book redresses the balance and provides timely insights into recent developments in return skilled migration in four regions in the Asia Pacific - Bangladesh, China, Taiwan and Vietnam. The authors believe that the movement of skilled migrants, and the tacit knowledge they bring with them, is a vital component in the process of globalisation. The authors examine the patterns and processes of return migration and the impacts it can have on migrants, their families and communities (including gender relations), as well as the effects on both the original source country and the host country. They highlight the many considerations which can influence the decision to return home, including social factors, career-related prospects, and the economic and political environment. Government policies in facilitating return migration through the promotion of entrepreneurship, education and training can also play a crucial role. In the long term, fears of a 'brain drain', under certain circumstances, may be replaced by the prospect of a 'brain gain' or 'global brain circulation', where emigration and immigration (or return migration) co-exist and are supplemented by short-term circulatory movements as a country becomes more integrated into the global economy. This is a pioneering comparative study of return migration in the Asia Pacific based on original primary data. Researchers, academics and students interested in migration, globalisation, demography and social transformation will find this a valuable and highly rewarding book.

This book examines the overall trends and labour patterns of migrants, their relationship with the state, and the impacts they have on the societies in which they work and sometimes settle. The book adopts a multidisciplinary perspective which encompasses economics, history, politics, geography, and sociology, and presents a unique body of new empirical research that forms the basis of many of the chapters. The book emphasises the growing importance and value of transnational communities and multiple identities. It covers many of the diverse migration patterns that have recently emerged - from rural out-migration in China, to international labour movements in the Asia Pacific region as a whole. The conditions of many migrant workers are far from satisfactory and this is highlighted in a number of the chapters. Settlement outcomes, when and where they occur, have major policy and social implications and are changing the ethnic composition of many countries in the region. The growth of civil society in Singapore, increased ethnic diversity in Japan and the emergence of New Zealand's multicultural population are all examples of some of the developments that host nations are having to come to terms with. This extensive book presents state-of-the-art research on migration in the Asia Pacific, specifically focusing on the economic, political and social identities of migrants, and the responses of different states to this complex issue. It will be extremely worthwhile reading for students, scholars and researchers in the social sciences, especially those with an interest in geography, demography and the theory and policy of international migration.

Rural-urban migration is an important aspect in the development of countries. Until the late 1980s China was one of the few countries that controlled population movement both directly and indirectly through policies of economic and social control. The gradual relaxation of these policies has resulted in greater freedom of movement for the population, the effects of which are discussed in this significant volume. The book concentrates on the migration of minorities from a social, economic and ethnic perspective and attempts to quantify the overall level of movement. In particular, the authors examine the relationships between education, ethnicity and migration and identify the policies and conditions conducive to achieving positive outcomes for minority migrant households. The book aims to increase our understanding of the effects of movement, on the social, economic and ethnic status of migrant families. Taking existing census data as a starting point, the book makes a new contribution by drawing on a unique survey in four different regions, the data from which is used as the basis for detailed case study analysis. The study of internal migration is vital, the authors argue, in order to understand the change process from a centrally planned economic system to a market orientated society in China. The internal mobility of minorities can be regarded equally, as both a product of, and a contributing factor to, this social transformation. This notable and very readable book will be of significant interest to policymakers, international and development economists and researchers and students of Asian economics and demographics.

The movement of Han Chinese into minority regions has been a long standing pattern in China. China's minorities, however, have only recently begun to move in significant numbers, motivated by economic, social, and political factors. This book looks at how current changes in China are affecting the minority populations. It gives special attention to border regions in the west of China. The contributors focus on how population shifts and the movement of China's minorities impact such issues as education, ethnic identity, the environment, local economy, labor, and regional development. They emphasize new dimensions in ethnic relations in China that have been introduced as a result of the spatial relocations. Selected Contents: Foreword, Dru C. GladneyI. Introduction1. Overview of Minority Migration, Robyn Iredale and Fei Guo2. Minority Movement and Education, Wang SuII. Inner Mongolia3. Contemporary Mongolian Population Distribution, Migration, Cultural Change, and Identity, Jirgal Burgin and Naran Bilik4. Ethnic Groups in Hohhot: Migration, Settlement, and Inter-group Exchanges, Wang JunminIII. Xinjiang5. Impacts of Migration to Xinjiang since the 1950s, Ren Qiang and Yuan Xin6. Population Distribution and Relations between Ethnic Groups in the Kashgar Region, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Ma Rong7. Uyghur Movement within Xinjiang and Its Ethnic Identity and Cultural Implications, Tsui Yen HuIV. Contexts and Patterns of Migration8. Ethnic Minority Labor Out-migrants from Guizhou Province and Its Impacts on Sending Areas, Zhang Jijiao9. Socio-economic Impacts of Uyghur Movement to Beijing, Caroline Hoy and Ren Qiang

The movement of Han Chinese into minority regions has been a long standing pattern in China. China's minorities, however, have only recently begun to move in significant numbers, motivated by economic, social, and political factors. This book looks at how current changes in China are affecting the minority populations. It gives special attention to border regions in the west of China. The contributors focus on how population shifts and the movement of China's minorities impact such issues as education, ethnic identity, the environment, local economy, labor, and regional development. They emphasize new dimensions in ethnic relations in China that have been introduced as a result of the spatial relocations. Selected Contents: Foreword, Dru C. GladneyI. Introduction1. Overview of Minority Migration, Robyn Iredale and Fei Guo2. Minority Movement and Education, Wang SuII. Inner Mongolia3. Contemporary Mongolian Population Distribution, Migration, Cultural Change, and Identity, Jirgal Burgin and Naran Bilik4. Ethnic Groups in Hohhot: Migration, Settlement, and Inter-group Exchanges, Wang JunminIII. Xinjiang5. Impacts of Migration to Xinjiang since the 1950s, Ren Qiang and Yuan Xin6. Population Distribution and Relations between Ethnic Groups in the Kashgar Region, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Ma Rong7. Uyghur Movement within Xinjiang and Its Ethnic Identity and Cultural Implications, Tsui Yen HuIV. Contexts and Patterns of Migration8. Ethnic Minority Labor Out-migrants from Guizhou Province and Its Impacts on Sending Areas, Zhang Jijiao9. Socio-economic Impacts of Uyghur Movement to Beijing, Caroline Hoy and Ren Qiang