E.g., 04/23/2024
E.g., 04/23/2024
Migrants, Migration, and Development

Migrants, Migration, and Development

A woman in Nigeria smiles while using her mobile phone
iStock.com/Wirestock

Remittances are a vital lifeline for migrants’ families around the world and an important source of revenue for many low- and middle-income countries, especially in times of crisis. As more people turn to digital financial technologies for these money transfers, this shift holds the potential to shake up the rigid remittance industry and boost development benefits. But it also brings new challenges, as this report explores.

A migrant worker cuts through a metal rod at a construction site in Qatar
Apex Image/ILO

With more people moving abroad for work and events such as the 2022 World Cup in Qatar highlighting the risks migrant workers can face, questions about how international recruitment occurs have received increased scrutiny. This policy brief explores the notable progress that has been made in establishing fair and ethical recruitment standards, and identifies key areas for future attention by governments, employers, and recruiters.

Colorful speech bubbles
iStock.com/incomible

El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras have long histories of emigration, but are seeing increasing transit and return migration as well. This report explores the stories told within these three countries about migration in all its forms, how these narratives intersect with (and at times, contradict) each other, and how they influence policy decisions and public opinion.

Migrant workers at a textile factory in Jordan
© ILO/Jared J. Kohler

Migrant workers can pay a range of costs when they are recruited and relocate for jobs abroad, accruing significant debt. While many countries, international organizations, and other stakeholders have sought to reduce or eliminate recruitment costs, the pandemic has exacerbated and added to these expenses. This policy brief explores how the costs migrant workers face have changed, and what these developments mean for efforts to promote fair and ethical recruitment.

Aerial view of a flooded residential area in Pakistan
© UNICEF/Asad Zaidi

Multilateral development banks (MDBs) have emerged as major players in responding to climate change, investing in sustainable infrastructure and climate resilience. But while many MDBs have shown interest in projects with positive impacts for climate migrants and host communities, they sometimes struggle to maximize these effects. This report examines MDBs’ role in responding to climate-related migration and displacement to date and opportunities to scale up their work.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other leaders at the 2022 Summit of the Americas
Freddie Everett/State Department

The Los Angeles Agreement on Migration and Protection signed by leaders from 20 countries across the Western Hemisphere at the 2022 Summit of the Americas marks a significant step forward in creating a common language and a coherent set of ideas for more cooperatively managing migration movements across a region that has seen very significant mobility in recent years, as this commentary explains.

Recent Activity

Coverthumb GlobalCompact SkillPartnerships
Policy Briefs
September 2018
By  Kate Hooper
Coverthumb MigrationAndDevelopmentPartnerships
Policy Briefs
July 2018
By  Kate Hooper and Kathleen Newland
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Reports
November 2020
By  Jeanne Batalova, Andriy Shymonyak and Michelle Mittelstadt
Coverthumb LegalPathwaysLowSkilledWorkers
Policy Briefs
January 2018
By  Kathleen Newland and Andrea Riester
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Policy Briefs
January 2018
By  Susan Fratzke and Brian Salant
Coverthumb GlobalCompactForMigration Brief1
Policy Briefs
November 2017
By  Kathleen Newland

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cover HLD Munz
Policy Briefs
September 2013
By  Rainer Münz
Cover_IOM MPI IIB7
Policy Briefs
November 2012
By  Dovelyn Rannveig Mendoza and Kathleen Newland
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Policy Briefs
October 2012
By  Jerry Huguet, Aphichat Chamratrithirong and Claudia Natali
Cover_IOM5_thumb
Policy Briefs
September 2012
By  Maruja M.B. Asis and Dovelyn Rannveig Mendoza
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Policy Briefs
August 2012
By  Dovelyn Rannveig Mendoza
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Policy Briefs
July 2012
By  Brian Kelly and Anita Jawadurovna Wadud

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2013.11.22 UNHCR Aleinikoff
Video, Audio
November 22, 2013

UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees T. Alexander Aleinikoff joined Kathleen Newland for a discussion on the Syrian refugee and internally displaced population, now considered one of the biggest humanitarian emergencies in a generation.

Tall UN building against blue sky
Audio
September 18, 2013

The Chair of the Global Forum on Migration and Development, along with the Special Advisor to the UN Special Representative for International Migration discuss what is expected from The UN High-Level Dialogue on Migration and Development in October 2013 and what impact it may have on the Global Forum on Migration and Development.

MPI event two panelists speaking
Audio
September 17, 2013

Diaspora engagement has become a key and accepted component in the arsenal of development strategies. The question of how to effectively and efficiently harness the force of a country’s diaspora through government intervention and policy remains one that many governments and international organizations must grapple with.

MI_StrandedMigrants
Video, Audio
May 9, 2013

With global mobility on the rise, the international community is finally grappling with the challenge of stranded migrants, which is one of the main agenda items for the High-level Dialogue on Migration and Development in the UN General Assembly in October 2013.

MPI event three panelists behind table
Audio
April 25, 2013

This MPI event discussed the Dutch model for fighting human trafficking and the strategic and operational dilemmas that public prosecutors in the Netherlands face.

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Recent Activity

Policy Briefs
October 2012

Thailand is well positioned to take advantage of the benefits of migration. This brief examines the country’s migration challenges and two basic approaches to regularizing labor migration: Memoranda of Understanding with migrant-sending neighbors and nationality verification as a preliminary step for work permit application by unauthorized immigrants.

Policy Briefs
September 2012

Predeparture orientation programs have emerged as an important tool for the protection of migrant workers for a number of Asian states. This brief examines the strengths, limitations, and areas for improvement of this intervention.

Audio
August 30, 2012

This joint Migration Policy Institute and International Organization for Migration event marks the Issue brief launch of Regulating Private Recruitment in the Asia-Middle East Labour Migration Corridor.

Reports
August 2012

This report summarizes the economic and social development policy achievements of Central American countries over the past 20 years, as well as the notable obstacles to development that remain. The author identifies long-term challenges and outlines how they can be incorporated into a new development agenda.

Policy Briefs
August 2012

This issue brief examines Asian labor migration to the Middle East—a region distinguished by its major dependence on migrant workers, the overwhelming majority from Asia. The author focuses on the role of private recruiting agencies as key facilitators of temporary labor migration and perpetrators of exploitative practices.

Video
July 25, 2012

The 2012 Global Diaspora Forum challenged diaspora communities to forge partnerships with the private sector, civil society, and public institutions in order to make their engagements with their countries of origin or ancestry effective, scalable, and sustainable.

Video, Audio
July 11, 2012

A discussion with Dr. Noppawan Tanpipat, Vice President, National Science and Technology Development Agency; Frank Laczko, Head, Migration Research Division, IOM; Dovelyn Rannveig Agunias, Regional Research Officer, IOM, and Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute (MPI); and Kathleen Newland, Director of Migrants, Migration, and Development, Migration Policy Institute (MPI).

Policy Briefs
July 2012

This brief provides a background on the displacement and evacuation of migrant workers caught in the Libyan civil war. It highlights questions raised as a result of this crisis regarding the response of the international community, discusses lessons learned from the Libyan experience, and identifies policy recommendations for addressing the protection needs of labor migrants during humanitarian crises. 

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