A Critical Investigation of the Impact of Internal Family Migration on the City of Benghazi in Libya

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

A Critical Investigation of the Impact of Internal Family Migration on the City of Benghazi in Libya A critical investigation of the impact of internal family migration on the city of Benghazi in Libya Saad, M. Submitted version deposited in CURVE January 2014 Original citation: Saad, M. (2011). A critical investigation of the impact of internal family migration on the city of Benghazi in Libya. Unpublished PhD Thesis. Coventry: Coventry University. Copyright © and Moral Rights are retained by the author(s) and/ or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This item cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. CURVE is the Institutional Repository for Coventry University http://curve.coventry.ac.uk/open A CRITICAL INVESTIGATION OF THE IMPACT OF INTERNAL FAMILY MIGRATION ON THE CITY OF BENGHAZI, IN LIBYA BY: MUSSA RAGAB SAAD Department of Geography, Environment & Disaster Management, Faculty of Business, Environment and Society, Coventry University, Coventry, UK 2010 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the University's Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Abstract The Impact of Internal Family Migration on the City of Benghazi, in Libya During the last fifty years the city of Benghazi in Libya has attracted huge streams of migrants from villages and small towns. This is due to the pull factors of jobs and social services in the city and to the push factors associated with the neglect of villages and small towns. This resulted in the city quickly increasing in size, leading to rapid population growth, culminating in many economic, social and demographic problems. However, little is known about Libyan migration especially in relation to the challenges posed by internal migration. Therefore, there is a need to examine the phenomena of internal migration and its effect on Benghazi, in order to provide planners and policy makers with up-to-date and relevant information to help them make appropriate decisions. The key aim of this study was to determine and critically evaluate the impact of internal migration on Benghazi using an interpretive approach. This was achieved by combining quantitative and qualitative methods. The empirical core of this thesis is based on field work data, including questionnaire interviews with 150 heads of household who had migrated to Benghazi; supplemented by 10 in-depth narrative studies with selected families; and semi structured interviews with key informants (policy makers) to investigate Government policy and the economic, social and demographic impact of internal migration on the city of Benghazi. The starting point of the theoretical basis of this study is based on theories developed by Ravenstein, Lee and Sjaastad. The research shows that there has been a high rate of migration flow to Benghazi over the last fifty years, and that the economic elements (job opportunities, higher incomes and more regular work) are the most important motives for migrating, in addition to social factors namely attending education and having access to health services. The research found that migration to Benghazi involved a bulk exodus of i the whole family unit to take advantage of a better lifestyle in Benghazi. The thesis further reveals that these family streams of migrants have affected the social, economic and demographic situation of Benghazi. Despite the Libyan Government seeking to reduce streams of internal migrants, some of these policies have worked, others have not. There is thus difference between what was planned and what has actually been achieved on the ground, demonstrating the need for research such as this. Key words: internal family migration, impact, Benghazi and government policy. ii Dedication To my beloved late Mother (stepmother) and Brother, to their purified spirit I dedicate this simple work. iii Acknowledgment I would like to express a special thanks to my Director of Studies Professor Hazel Barrett. I am indebted to her for her guidance and high quality supervision, without which this thesis could not have been completed. Also I am indebted to my second and third supervisors Dr. Angela Browne and Dr. Rachel Granger for their valuable comments and their constructive criticism. I should also like to thank the inhabitants of Benghazi, for their warm welcome and hospitality, and for their willingness to provide the useful data which was required by the researcher. I am very grateful to key informants (policy makers) in Benghazi, including Heads of the General Popular Committees for Health, Education, Housing, Agriculture, Electricity, Water and Gas, Transportation and Manpower for their useful data, recommendations and great help. My thanks also should go to people in the University of Omar Al Mukhtar for letting me use their resources and facilities, throughout my field study in Libya. Thanks are due to my team of assistants Dr Mohammed Marsal, Salah Abdaldaim and Mohamed Anwaiji for their significant help and valuable assistance during the period of field work. I must also record a particular debt of gratitude to friends in the UK: Ibrahim Eshkab, John Webb and Frank Warwick for their assistance, encouragement and support. Above all, however, I would like to express my gratitude to Omar Al Mukhtar University and the Libyan Ministry of Higher Education who gave me a full scholarship without which this thesis would not have been possible. Thank you. Thank you to everyone. iv Table of Contents ABSTRACT...............................................................................................I DEDICATION..........................................................................................III ACKNOWLEDGMENT............................................................................IV TABLE OF CONTENTS...........................................................................V LIST OF TABLES.................................................................................XIII LIST OF FIGURES...............................................................................XVI ABBREVIATIONS................................................................................XVII CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION TO THE THESIS..............................1 1.1. Introduction........................................................................................2 1.2. Statement of the Problem..................................................................3 1.3. Aim and Objectives of the Study.......................................................4 1.4. Justification for the Study..................................................................4 1.5. The Structure of the Thesis...............................................................5 CHAPTER TWO: INTERNAL MIGRATION: BACKGROUND..................9 2.1. Introduction......................................................................................10 2.2. Migration Overview..........................................................................10 2.3. Definition of Internal Migration.........................................................11 2.3.1. United Nations Definition………………………………………….....12 2.3.2. Libya’s Definition………………………………………………..….....13 2.4. Internal Migration.............................................................................13 2.5. Duration of Internal Migration..........................................................14 2.5. 1. Temporary Movement..............................................................15 2.5. 2. Permanent Movement..............................................................16 2.5.3. Seasonal Movement..................................................................16 2.6. Theories of General Migration.........................................................17 v 2.6.1. Theories of the Causes of Migration.........................................17 2.6.2. Decision-Making Theories.........................................................19 2.6.3. Critique of Lee's Theory of Intervening Opportunities ..............23 2.6.4. Economic Theories....................................................................24 2.7. Spatial Patterns and Types of Internal Migration............................25 2.7.1. Rural - Urban Migration............................................................25 2.7.2. Rural- Rural Migration.............................................................27 2. 7. 3. Urban - Rural Migration...........................................................28 2.7. 4. Urban - Urban Migration...........................................................28 2.8. Reasons (Causes) of Internal Migration..........................................28 2.8.1. Demographic Reasons..............................................................29 2.8.2. Economic Reasons....................................................................30 2.8.3. Social Reasons..........................................................................31 2.8.4. Urbanisation Reasons...............................................................32 2.9. Immigrant’s Characteristics.............................................................33 2.9.1. Demographic Characteristics....................................................33 2.9.2. Social Characteristics................................................................34 2.9.3. Economic Characteristics..........................................................35
Recommended publications
  • ISIS in Libya: a Major Regional and International Threat
    המרכז למורשת המודיעין (מל"מ) מרכז המידע למודיעין ולטרור January 2016 ISIS in Libya: a Major Regional and International Threat ISIS operatives enter the coastal city of Sirte in north-central Libya on February 18, 2015, in a show of strength accompanied by dozens of vehicles (Twitter.com, Nasher.me). Since then ISIS has established itself in Sirte and the surrounding areas, turning the entire region into its Libyan stronghold and a springboard for spreading into other regions. Overview 1. In 2015 ISIS established two strongholds beyond the borders of its power base in Iraq and Syria: the first in the Sinai Peninsula, where it wages determined fighting against the Egyptian security forces. The second is situated in the north- central Libyan city of Sirte and its surroundings, where it has established territorial control and from where it seeks to take over the entire country. It intends to turn Libya into a springboard for terrorism and the subversion of the rest of North Africa, the sub-Saharan countries, and southern Europe. The firm territorial base ISIS constructed in Libya is the only one outside IraQ and Syria, and is potentially a greater regional and international threat. 2. ISIS could establish itself in Libya because of the chaos prevalent after the execution of Muammar Qaddafi. As in Iraq and Syria, the governmental-security vacuum created by the collapse of the central government was filled by nationalist and Islamist organizations, local and regional tribal militias and jihadist organizations. The branch of ISIS in Libya exploited the lack of a functioning government and 209-15 2 the absence of international intervention to establish itself in the region around Sirte and from there to aspire to spread throughout Libya.
    [Show full text]
  • Re-Conceptualizing Orders in the Mena Region the Analytical Framework of the Menara Project
    No. 1, November 2016 METHODOLOGY AND CONCEPT PAPERS RE-CONCEPTUALIZING ORDERS IN THE MENA REGION THE ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE MENARA PROJECT Edited by Eduard Soler i Lecha (coordinator), Silvia Colombo, Lorenzo Kamel and Jordi Quero This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No 693244 Middle East and North Africa Regional Architecture: Mapping Geopolitical Shifts, Regional Order and Domestic Transformations METHODOLOGY AND CONCEPT PAPERS No. 1, November 2016 RE-CONCEPTUALIZING ORDERS IN THE MENA REGION THE ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE MENARA PROJECT Edited by Eduard Soler i Lecha (coordinator), Silvia Colombo, Lorenzo Kamel and Jordi Quero ABSTRACT The aim of this work is to set the conceptual architecture for the MENARA Project. It is articulated in five thematic sections. The first one traces back the major historical junctures in which key powers shaped the defining features of the present-day MENA region. Section 2 sets the geographical scope of the project, maps the distribution of power and defines regional order and its main features. Section 3 focuses on the domestic orders in a changing region by gauging and tracing the evolution of four trends, namely the erosion of state capacity; the securitization of regime policies; the militarization of contention; and the pluralization of collective identities. Section 4 links developments in the global order to their impact on the region in terms of power, ideas, norms and identities. The last section focuses on foresight studies and proposes a methodology to project trends and build scenarios. All sections, as well as the conclusion, formulate specific research questions that should help us understand the emerging geopolitical order in the MENA.
    [Show full text]
  • Weekly Libya .Xplored Preview 12 May, 2017
    Weekly Libya .Xplored Preview 12 May, 2017 Prepared by Risk Analysis Team, Libya garda.com/ips Confidential and Proprietary © GardaWorld Weekly Libya .Xplored Report 12 May 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACTIVITY MAP ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 OUTLOOK ............................................................................................................................................................... 4 Short term outlook ............................................................................................................................................. 4 Medium to long term outlook ............................................................................................................................ 4 SIGNIFICANT EVENTS ........................................................................................................................................... 4 Governance ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Security ............................................................................................................................................................... 4 KEY DATES ............................................................................................................................................................ 5 THREAT MATRIX ...................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Re-Conceptualizing Orders in the MENA Region the Analytical Framework of the MENARA Project
    No.1, November 2016 METHODOLOGY AND CONCEPT PAPERS RE-CONCEPTUALIZING ORDERS IN THE MENA REGION THE ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE MENARA PROJECT Edited by Eduard Soler i Lecha (coordinator), Silvia Colombo, Lorenzo Kamel and Jordi Quero This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No 693244 Middle East and North Africa Regional Architecture: Mapping Geopolitical Shifts, Regional Order and Domestic Transformations METHODOLOGY AND CONCEPT PAPERS No. 1, November 2016 RE-CONCEPTUALIZING ORDERS IN THE MENA REGION THE ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK OF THE MENARA PROJECT Edited by Eduard Soler i Lecha (coordinator), Silvia Colombo, Lorenzo Kamel and Jordi Quero ABSTRACT The aim of this work is to set the conceptual architecture for the MENARA Project. It is articulated in five thematic sections. The first one traces back the major historical junctures in which key powers shaped the defining features of the present-day MENA region. Section 2 sets the geographical scope of the project, maps the distribution of power and defines regional order and its main features. Section 3 focuses on the domestic orders in a changing region by gauging and tracing the evolution of four trends, namely the erosion of state capacity; the securitization of regime policies; the militarization of contention; and the pluralization of collective identities. Section 4 links developments in the global order to their impact on the region in terms of power, ideas, norms and identities. The last section focuses on foresight studies and proposes a methodology to project trends and build scenarios. All sections, as well as the conclusion, formulate specific research questions that should help us understand the emerging geopolitical order in the MENA.
    [Show full text]
  • Libya Weekly Operational Preview
    . Libya Weekly Operational Preview April 25, 2021 Prepared by: Risk Analysis Team, Libya © 2021 GardaWorld Proprietary GardaWorld Proprietary GardaWorld 1 202 1 © Table of Contents Outlook .................................................................................................. 3 Short Term Outlook .............................................................................................................................. 3 Medium to Long Term Outlook ............................................................................................................. 3 Executive Summary ............................................................................... 3 Political Developments ......................................................................................................................... 3 Military Developments .......................................................................................................................... 4 Security Developments ......................................................................................................................... 4 International Security Developments .................................................................................................... 5 Coronavirus .......................................................................................................................................... 5 Migrant Crisis .......................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Durham E-Theses
    Durham E-Theses El-Marj Plain: a geographical study Buru, M. M. How to cite: Buru, M. M. (1965) El-Marj Plain: a geographical study, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/10277/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk EL-MARJ PLAIN, A GEOGRAPHICAL STUDY By M.M. Buru, B.A., M.Litt. Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in The University of Durham - October, 1965. The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. 9 ^ -l- K. Abstract "El-Marj Plain, A Geographical Study" El-Marj Plain is a closed depression on the upper terrace of the Jebel Akhdar of Cyrenaica. It is the largest karstic basin in the whole of Cyrenaica.
    [Show full text]
  • Weekly Libya .Xplored Report Preview 23 June, 2017
    ; Weekly Libya .Xplored report preview 23 June, 2017 Prepared by Risk Analysis Team, Libya garda.com/ips Confidential and Proprietary © GardaWorld Weekly Libya .Xplored Report 23 June 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACTIVITY MAP ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 OUTLOOK ............................................................................................................................................................... 4 Short term outlook ............................................................................................................................................. 4 Medium to long term outlook ............................................................................................................................ 4 SIGNIFICANT EVENTS ........................................................................................................................................... 4 Governance ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Security ............................................................................................................................................................... 5 Oil and gas .......................................................................................................................................................... 5 KEY DATES ...........................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Weekly Libya .Xplored Report Preview August 18, 2017
    Weekly Libya .Xplored report preview August 18, 2017 Prepared by Risk Analysis Team, Libya garda.com/ips Proprietary © GardaWorld Weekly Libya .Xplored Report August 18, 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACTIVITY MAP ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 OUTLOOK ............................................................................................................................................................... 4 Short term outlook ............................................................................................................................................. 4 Medium to long term outlook ............................................................................................................................ 4 SIGNIFICANT EVENTS ........................................................................................................................................... 4 Governance ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Security ............................................................................................................................................................... 5 Migrant Crisis ..................................................................................................................................................... 6 Oil & Gas ............................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Libya Weekly Operational Preview
    . Libya Weekly Operational Preview August 01, 2021 Prepared by: Risk Analysis Team, Libya Proprietary GardaWorld GardaWorld © 2021 GardaWorld Proprietary 1 202 © 1 Table of Contents Outlook .................................................................................................. 3 Short Term Outlook .............................................................................................................................. 3 Medium to Long Term Outlook ............................................................................................................. 3 Executive Summary ............................................................................... 3 Political Developments ......................................................................................................................... 3 Military Developments .......................................................................................................................... 4 Security Developments ......................................................................................................................... 4 Oil & Gas Developments ...................................................................................................................... 5 International Developments .................................................................................................................. 5 Coronavirus .......................................................................................................................................... 5
    [Show full text]
  • Libya Weekly Operational Preview
    . Libya Weekly Operational Preview June 20, 2021 Prepared by: Risk Analysis Team, Libya © 2021 GardaWorld Confidential & Proprietary GardaWorld Confidential & Proprietary Confidential GardaWorld 1 202 1 © Table of Contents Outlook .................................................................................................. 3 Short Term Outlook .............................................................................................................................. 3 Medium to Long Term Outlook ............................................................................................................. 3 Executive Summary ............................................................................... 3 Political Developments ......................................................................................................................... 3 Security Developments ......................................................................................................................... 4 Military Developments .......................................................................................................................... 5 Migrant Developments .......................................................................................................................... 5 Oil and Gas Developments................................................................................................................... 5 Threat Matrix .......................................................................................... 6 Key Dates
    [Show full text]
  • Amnesty International Report 2017/18
    AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. First published in 2018 by Except where otherwise noted, This report documents Amnesty Amnesty International Ltd content in this document is International’s work and concerns Peter Benenson House, licensed under a through 2017. 1, Easton Street, CreativeCommons (attribution, The absence of an entry in this London WC1X 0DW non-commercial, no derivatives, report on a particular country or United Kingdom international 4.0) licence. territory does not imply that no https://creativecommons.org/ © Amnesty International 2018 human rights violations of licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode concern to Amnesty International Index: POL 10/6700/2018 For more information please visit have taken place there during the ISBN: 978-0-86210-499-3 the permissions page on our year. Nor is the length of a website: www.amnesty.org country entry any basis for a A catalogue record for this book comparison of the extent and is available from the British amnesty.org depth of Amnesty International’s Library. concerns in a country. Original language: English ii Amnesty International Report 2017/18 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
    [Show full text]
  • Weekly Libya .Xplored Preview 10 March, 2017
    Weekly Libya .Xplored Preview 10 March, 2017 Prepared by Risk Analysis Team, Libya garda.com/ips Confidential and Proprietary © GardaWorld Weekly Libya .Xplored Report 10 March 2017 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACTIVITY MAP ........................................................................................................................................................ 3 OUTLOOK ............................................................................................................................................................... 4 Short term outlook ............................................................................................................................................. 4 Medium to long term outlook ............................................................................................................................ 4 SIGNIFICANT EVENTS ........................................................................................................................................... 4 Governance ......................................................................................................................................................... 4 Oil Crescent ........................................................................................................................................................ 4 Security ............................................................................................................................................................... 4 KEY DATES ...........................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]