NorthSouth Migration Circulation

1
North-South Migration Circulation

• Frequent movers between Sweden and the Global
  South
• Research project based on earlier studies of
  return migration in US-Mexican and
  Swedish-Chilean context
• Qualitative studies showed that return migration
  was not definitive
• In both cases tendencies towards migration
  circulation

2
Transnational citizens or circulating
semi-proletarians?

• The emerging field of research on transnational
  migration
• Qualitative work with theoretical contributions
• In what contexts is transnationalism being
  formed?
• Interest in examining the larger picture of
  migration circulation

3
Research questions

• Is migration circulation a large and growing
  share of North-South migration?
• What are the characteristics of migration
  circulators (gender, country of
  birth/destination, age)
• Does Swedish citizenship lead to circulation?
• Are circulators more likely to be in the high-end
  and low-end labour market hierarchy (education
  and income)?

4
Data

• Longitudinal register data covering immigration
  and emigration between from 1968 to 2002.

Sampling procedure

• Select all individuals being registered in Sweden
  2002.
• Select all individuals born in any of the five
  regions a) America (except the USA Canada)
  b) Northern Africa the
  Middle East c) Africa
  
  d) Iran Iraq
  
  e) Asia, Turkey Oceania (except Japan,
  Australia, and New Zeeland)
• ? ca 400 000 people

5
Three groups of analysis

• 400 000 people ?
• Circular migrants (three migration events)
  1) immigrated to Sweden, 2) emigrated
  to any foreign country, 3) immigrated to Sweden
  (13 400 people 3.5)
• Double circular migrants ( 5 migration events)
  two or more rounds of circular migration
  (1 100 people 0.3)
• Stayers
  immigrated to Sweden before 2002
  and are not observed as emigrants or
  re-immigrants in the registers (384 400 people)

6
This variable is the sum of disability pension
(handikappersättning), social allowance
socialbidrag), occupational injury annuity
(arbetsskadelivränta), and income from
occupational injury, rehabilitation and illness
(inkomst föranledd av sjukdom, arbetsskada och
rehabilitering).
7
Estimation results Circular migrants versus
Stayers

• Men have higher probability of being circular
  migrants
• Having Swedish citizenship increases the
  likelihood of being a circular migrant
• Circular migrants are more likely to be older,
  non-married and having a Latin American country
  of birth
• The probability of being a circular migrant
  increases by higher education.
• Low-income earners (lt150 SEK/year) are more
  likely to be circular migrants.
• High-income earners (gt300 SEK/year) are not
  more likely to be circular migrants.

8
Conclusions

• Selective feminisation of circular migration
  (Latin America and Asia).
• Swedish citizenship enables circulation
• (Exception in the Latin American case due to
  Swedish return policy towards Chilean citizens)

9
Conclusions

• Low percentage of North-South migrants are
  circulators (3.5)
• Actual mobility and transnational links may be
  more important than the registered migrants
• But the phenomenon seems to be highly limited and
  restricted

10
Conclusions

• Migration circulation is associated with high
  education and low income
• Vicious circle of exclusion from Swedish labour
  market and continued migration
• Double circulation aggravates these problems
• Not individual problem of qualification
• Structural problem of discrimination
• Lose-lose-lose rather than win-win-win?

11
(No Transcript)
12
(No Transcript)
13
(No Transcript)
14
Estimation results

• Double circular migrants versus Stayers
• The results of the analysis are similar to the
  previous analysis.
• Circular migrants versus Double circular
  migrants
• Strong resemblance between circular migrants and
  double circular migrants insignificant
  parameter estimates.