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Biblographic Data Sheet Bibiorapicpn-Aaj BIBLOGRAPHIC DATA SHEET 1.CONTROL NUMBER I2. SUBJECT CLASSIFICATION (695) BIBIORAPICPN-AAJ- 107 SE00h-0000=G30 2 (240) 3.TITLE AND SUBTITLE International migration within Latin America and the Caribbean: a review of available evidence 4. PERSONAL AUTHORS (100) Diaz-Briquets, Sergio 5. CORPORATE AUTHORS (101) Population Reference Bureau, Inc. 6. DOCUMENT DATE (110) 7. NUMBER OF PAGES (120) 8. ARC NUMBER(170) 1980 130p. LAT301.328.D542 9.REFERENCE ORGANIZATION (130) Pop. Ref. 10. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES (500) 11. ABSTRACT (950) 12. DESCRIPTORS (920) IS. PROJECT NUMBER (150) Migrations Latin America Population migrations Socioeconomic indicators Population growth 14. CONTRACr NO.(140) 15. O01,TVACT Policies Labor migration AID/lac-C-1349 TPE (140) Caribbean I 16.TYPE OF DOCUMENT (160) AI3D 590.7 049) LA-T-~ INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION WITHIN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: A REVIEW OF AVAILABLE EVIDENCE Sergio Diaz-Briquets April, 1980 Population Reference Bureau, Inc. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1 am indebted to many colleagues in and outside Latin America for sharing with me their insights regarding the topics analyzed in this report, providing relevant literature, and guiding me to knowledgeable government officials and policy makers. Laura Lippman, Lisa C. Olson, and Virginia Schofield worked closely with me in the preparation of this report. Robert Corno and John J. Macisco read an earlier version of this document and provided useful comments and suggestions. This report was prepared under a contract with the Population Division of the Latin American and Caribbean Bureau of the United States Agency for International Development (AID/LAC-C-1349). All iiterpretations are my sole responsibility. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Introduction 1 International Migration Flows Within Latin America: Direction & Magnitude 5 Determinants of Intra-Regional International Migration in Latin America 13 Land Distribution 15 Frontier Expansion & Colonization 17 Ecological Factors 20 Wage Differentials 20 Educational & Infrastructural Differences 26 Improvements in Transportation & Communication 27 Social & Political Conflict 30 Population Growth & International Migration 31 Some Migrant Characteristics 36 Age 37 Sex 39 Family Characteristics 42 Education 43 Occupation 44 Legal Status 47 Consequences of Intra-Regional International Migration 51 Changes in the Size, Composition, & Growth Rate of the Population 52 Changes in Employment & Wage Rates 56 Remittances 62 Other Consequences of Migration 65 INTRODUCTION Throughout the world international migration hasbeen attracting increasing attention from governments, international agencies, researchers and thp general public. Since the end of the Second World War a number of forces have contributed to in­ tensify population movements across national borders. Among these have been a virtual "reduction" of distances among countries that has resulted from improvements in transportation and communi­ cations, growing wealth differentials between nations, and a higher degree of economic interdependence among peoples. The end of colonialism, the economic resurgence of industrialized Europe, and more recently, the economic boom experienced by the Middle Eastern oil producing states are specific events commonly cited to explain the heightened incidence of the phenomenon in certain regions of Africa, Asia, and Europe. The character of international migration has also changed in the Western Hemisphere. While the massive waves of immigration -- free or forced-- into the hemisphere are a thing of the past, some international migrants from other continents, though in much smaller numbers, continue to arrive in the Americas. The destination of these migrants is largely limited to a few countr:ies -- Brazil, Canada, United States, and Venezuela -­ although most countries receive at least a trickle of arrival$. International migrations within the hemisphere, however, now -2­ appear to be more significant than ever before. Large numbers of migrants from the less developed nations of the Caribbean and Middle and South America find their way to the United States and Canada. Population transfers across other American nations (the Latin and other Caribbean basin countries) are known to occur. Some of these migrations have been taking place for decades while others have just become important in recent years. This report reviews some of the available evidence re­ lated to international migration within the Latin American region. For the purposes of this report, Latin America is defined as the countries included in Middle America (the countries in Central America plus Mexico), the Caribbean (excluding Puerto Rico), and South America. Not included in the report are discussions of the significant population flows from Latin America to Canada, the United States, and some Western European countries. The litera­ ture on these migrations is relatively rich and readily accessible; it can be consulted by those interested in the principal features of extra-regional emigration. immigration to Latin America from other parts of the world is considered only when relevant to the understanding of the topic under an&lysis. The report focuses largely on the last two decades although international migrations within the region are nothing new; the emphasis on the last two decades reflects a concern with the policy relevance of present day issues. Formal studies in the form of books, journal articles, and unpublished papers constitute the backbone of the report. -3­ peavy reliance has also been placed on journalistic or impressionis­ tic sources since much of the evidence on international migra~ton in the region is of this nature. Journalistic accounts are parti­ cularly helpful when drawing inferences regarding more recent developments. These sources have been supplemented wtth informa­ tion obtained in personal conversations with researchers, govern­ ment officials, and policy makers in various countries of the re­ gion concerned with some of the issue: discussed in this report. Since the coverage of detailed studies on international migration in Latin America is very uneven, the report builds largely on the experience of those few countries for which more detailed informa­ tion is available. The initial section Of the report describes the princi­ pal migratory movements within the region, presents some quanti­ some tative evidence regarding its probable volume, and discusses of the problems confronted when attempting to estimate its magni­ tude. The determinants of international migration within Latin America are discussed in the next section, considering both send- on ing and receiving areas. In the following section, eata selected characteristics of the migrants are evaluated and an effort is made to relate those characteristics to various types of migratory flows observed in the region. Scme of the observed or postulated consequences of international migration are reviewed send­ next, considering separately the possible consequences for evalu­ in% and receiving countries. Immediately after, the report in ates how international migration is perceived by governments -4­ the region, what policies have been instituted, and the effective­ ness of these policies in influencing the direction, :magnitude,. and characteristics of migratory flows across national borders:. The final section reviews some of the main conclusions of the report and suggests some research priorities. INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION FLOWS WITHIN LATIN AMERICA: DIRECTION AND MAGNITUDE The roots of contemporary intra-Latin American inter­ national miqration can be found, in some cases, in population displacementa that have been taking place for centuries. Other migrations can be traced, at least in part, to historical patterns of population settlement and political and economic organiza­ tion established after the New World was occupied by European powers. Long-established patterns of cultural interaction among indigenous communities in areas that today include the Andean and Middle American countries, and population movements across present-day national boundaries of countries sharing similar socio-economic and population characteristics, exem­ plify the historical antecedents of migration in many parts of Latin America. More recently, the emergence of profound struc­ tural differences and uneven' rates of economic and population growth among countries in the region appear to have resulted in the intensification of intra-regionai migrations. Intra-regional migrations of unskilled laborers have largely been limited to movements across contiguous countries. Most of these movements have been at first oriented towards rural areas of receiving countries, the migrants themselves having a rural background, where migrants have either replaced native workers who left for the cities (Argentina, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic) or have provided manpower in areas of low population density having chronic labor shortages (Chileans -6­ in Southern Argentina). Rural-to-rural international migration also involves landless and subsistencefarmers who -leave their' countries in search of unoccupied agricultural land (Colombians into some regions of Eastern Ecuador; Salvadorians in Honduras), and colonists settling in frontier regions where land may be cheaper and/or of better quality than what is accessible to them in their home country (Brazilian settlers in the Alto Parana region of Paraguay). Many of the earlier migrants who first moved to rural areas, as well as recent arrivals, increasingly have been choosing
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