Transcript 259-6-5-migr

TODAY
• Migration continued
• Mexico – US example
• Remittances
• Rural to rural migration
Rural to urban migration
• Social Geographies
Wealth & income
Social development indicators
© T. M. Whitmore
Example of International
migration: Mexicans to US
• Spatial patterns of migration
• Issue of remittances
© T. M. Whitmore
© T. M. Whitmore
Remittances-a global phenomena
• They are monies sent by workers in the
•
more industrial countries to their homes
in the global “south”
~ 150 million migrants sent
> US$ 300 billion globally in 2006
© T. M. Whitmore
Remittances to LA
• About 30 million Latin American
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•
migrants living in the United States &
Europe
Send ~ US$68 billion to their families
annually!
Average remittance per migrant ~
US$2,100
Average per capita remittance ~ 20% of
average per capita GDP
15 of 38 in LA countries receive > US$ 1
© T. M. Whitmore
b
Remittance Origins in US
• Top US sending states = CA, NY, FL, IL,
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•
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NJ (all over $1 billion annually)
N C over $800 million annually
Immigrants in US have total incomes ~
US$ 500 b
About 10% of that is sent home but
90% is spent in the US locality
~ 60 of remittance senders are “working
poor” or lower middle class (incomes <
$30k) – but most think economic life in
US is good
© T. M. Whitmore
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How is money sent?
Most send to their families through
international money transfer companies.
These are costly: fees can run to 6-7% or
more (but these are low by global
standards)
Fewer than 50% of Latin Americans have bank
accounts here or in home countries
Thus some use professional viajeros
(travelers)
Agencies are now competing
IADB working to reduce fees and
bottlenecks
In Durham, NC the Latino Community Credit
Union charges from $6-10
© T. M. Whitmore
Remittance destinations in LA
• Countries where remittances ~ 10% of
total country GDP
Grenada ~31%
Honduras ~25%
El Salvador ~24%
Haiti ~21%
Dominican Republic ~18%
Jamaica ~18%
Nicaragua ~15%
Belize ~11%
Guatemala ~10%
© T. M. Whitmore
Remittances to LA & C
• Exceed the combined flows of all
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•
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Foreign Direct Investment and net
Official Development Assistance
Flows substantially exceed tourism
income to each country & almost always
exceed the largest export
Overall remittances ~13% of the value
of all exports
Large percentages (> 15%) of the adult
population in many countries receive
remittances
© T. M. Whitmore
Scale of remittance flows
• Remittances to Mexico ~US$24 billion
Greater than the country's total
tourism income
Greater than 2/3 of the value of
petroleum exports
About equal to 180% of the country's
agricultural exports.
© T. M. Whitmore
Spending Remittances
• Vast majority spent on household
expenses
Rural residents get ~ 1/3 of all
remittances
Investments in real estate (houses)
increasing
Also investments in small business
ventures
© T. M. Whitmore
Consequences & Issues
• Social consequences to the Latin
•
American migrant workers’ families
About 1/3 are undocumented thus
 Visits home are few
 Wages and working conditions may
be poor
Families are divided
Impacts in Latin America
Is this development or dependency?
How many participate, does it
increase or decrease equity?
© T. M. Whitmore
Global Totals:
~$US 301 billion
Remittances: The Human Face of Globalization
Source: © IADB
Quiroga, Mexico
© Thomas Whitmore
$3.7 b
$1.2 b
$13.2 b
$5.2 b
2006 estimates-note big increases
Source: © IADB
© Thomas Whitmore
Source: © IADB
Source: © IADB
© Thomas Whitmore
Return migrant (remittance funded) housing in Ecuador
© Brad Jokish
© Thomas Whitmore
© Thomas Whitmore
© Thomas Whitmore
© Thomas Whitmore
Migration: rural => rural
• From densely settled highlands to sparsely
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settled lowlands
 Andean to Amazonia
 Andean to coast
 Central American
From densely settled NE Brazil and S
cities to Amazonia
Also temporary r -> r circulation
Myriad of interacting factors “driving”
migration
© T. M. Whitmore
Amazonia
© David Carr
Sugar mill in S coastal Guatemala
4th type: rural => urban migration
• What is it?
Rural to urban migration =>
permanent change of residence
• Why migrate?
“Push” and “Pull” forces
Economic welfare
Social welfare
Other factors
© T. M. Whitmore
Economic pushes & pulls
• Lack of land
• Few non-farm opportunities
• Little upward mobility
• Development => fewer rural jobs &
jobs with less dignity
• New jobs have less autonomy
• Strategy of family income
diversification
© T. M. Whitmore
Social (pushes & pulls)
• Education
• Health care access
© T. M. Whitmore
Other (pushes & pulls)
• Environmental
• Violence
• Individual factors
© T. M. Whitmore
Who migrates?
• Age
• Gender
• Marital status
• Education level
• Personal
• Ethnicity
© T. M. Whitmore
How do migrants move?
• Migration patterns
Role of information
Role of social networks
Role of “steps”
Role of distance and costs
© T. M. Whitmore
Social Geography & Development:
Wealth
• Average wealth in GDP (in PPP)/capita
• World ~ $9,940
•
Lesser developed ~ $4,760-5,480
USA ~ $44,260
© T. M. Whitmore
Social Geography & Development:
Wealth II
• LA ~ $8,630
• Extremes of GDP/capita in LA (< $5,000)
Low
 Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala
 Jamaica, Haiti (<$1,500!)
 Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay
> LA average GDP/capita (> $8,500)
 Costa Rica, Mexico
 Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Uruguay
© T. M. Whitmore
Percent population living on <$2/day
• World average > 50%
• Latin American average ~ 24%
Countries with > 30%
 Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, El
Salvador,
 Jamaica, Haiti,
 Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay
Countries with fewer than LA average
 Costa Rica, Mexico
 Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay Chile
© T. M. Whitmore
GDP/capita
• USA
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Wealth distribution I
Richest 20% have 40% of all income
Poorest 20% have 5%
65% in middle class
GINI coefficients
USA ~ 41
Mexico ~46
Bolivia ~60
Brazil ~56
© T. M. Whitmore
Guatemala ~60
Wealth distribution II
• Latin America
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Richest 20% have 50-65% of all income
Poorest 20% have 2-5%
30% in the middle
Countries with top 20% with more than
50% of all income
 Brazil, Panama, Costa Rica, Argentina,
Mexico, Peru, Venezuela
Changing over time
Varies within countries
© T. M. Whitmore
GINI coefficients
Social development indicators
• The Human Development Index
• Safe water access
• Population to hospital bed ratio
• % of children < age 5 underweight
• Overall worst levels of human
development
Bolivia; Ecuador; Paraguay; Peru
El Salvador; Guatemala; Honduras;
Nicaragua
Dominican Republic; Haiti
© T. M. Whitmore