Festivals and re-ethnicization of China’s Miao migrant community

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Siu-woo Cheung
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Migrant Worker ◽  
Guizhou Province ◽  
Host Society ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Migrant Communities ◽  
Institutional Embeddedness

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the efforts of an ethnic Miao migrant worker association to recreate and engage with festivals both in the host society of the Pearl River Delta and back home in Southeastern Guizhou province of Southwest China. It analyzes how and under what conditions the disadvantaged migrant workers collectively demonstrate and assert their cultural identity in festival activities, rekindling and strengthening their ethnic consciousness. Design/methodology/approach Based on ethnographic field data, this study focuses on the connections between migrant workers’ lives in modern host societies and their traditional culture back home. Special attention is paid to the temporal dynamics of migrant workers’ cultural identity and socio-economic development. Findings The leaders of the Miao migrants’ association created network linkages to channel the flow of labor, capital and culture between the host society and the migrants’ hometown, and made efforts to secure institutional embeddedness at both ends of the flow. Their use of festivals and related heritage as cultural capital has facilitated the cultivation of network linkages and institutional embeddedness for economic advancement and overcoming ethnic prejudices and institutional disadvantages. Originality/value By illustrating how the economic development has been imbricated with culture, this research enhances understanding about the role of network linkage and institutional embeddedness in the flow of labor, capital and culture between host society and home place of migrant communities.

International capital inflows and labour immigration

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 1420-1438 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelyn S. Devadason ◽  
Thirunaukarasu Subramaniam
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Migrant Worker ◽  
Policy Coordination ◽  
Output Growth ◽  
Trade Theory ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Fdi Inflows ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Cointegration Tests

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between inward foreign direct investment (FDI) and unskilled immigrants for a panel of 23 manufacturing industries in Malaysia, spanning the period 1985-2009. Design/methodology/approach The paper establishes the causal FDI-immigrant links within a multivariate model framework for the period 2000-2009, and in a univariate context for 1985-1999 and 1985-2009. Findings Based on heterogeneous panel cointegration tests, there is a long-run equilibrium between inward FDI, unskilled migrant share, output growth, export intensity and market concentration. The long-run cointegrating coefficient based on the fully modified least squares estimator suggests the presence of unskilled migrant workers a significant location determinant for inward FDI for the first sub-period and the overall period. The results of the panel vector error correction model further attest to causal links between unskilled migrant worker presence and inward FDI in the short- and long run. Bidirectional causality between inward capital and labour flows is present in the first sub-period and unidirectional causal links from unskilled migrants to inward FDI is evident for the overall period. Research limitations/implications The observed FDI-immigration (unskilled) links in manufacturing support the argument that inward FDI is induced by unskilled migration. The study reveals that unskilled immigration increases FDI inflows or rather “capital chases labour” in terms of international factor mobility. Practical implications This has profound implications for public policy as the government seeks to reduce its dependence on migrant workers. Policy coordination is therefore needed between regulating inflows of foreign capital and foreign labour so that implemented policies do not pull in different directions and undermine Malaysia’s attractiveness as a destination for FDI. Originality/value The large presence of unskilled migrants, an intrinsic characteristic (based on the new trade theory that includes factor endowments) of Malaysia, seems to be largely ignored when explaining FDI inflows to manufacturing, particularly so when the siting of MNCs in this sector have traditionally been in light scale manufacturing.

Effects of family encouragement on migrant workers’ return-to-hometown intention and turnover

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-185
Author(s):  
Guoliang Li ◽  
Yanran Fang ◽  
Yifan Song ◽  
Jingqiu Chen ◽  
Mo Wang
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Migrant Worker ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Chinese Economy ◽  
Family Needs ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Gains And Losses ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Given migrant workers’ critical role in the Chinese economy, the increasing number of migrant workers who leave their organizations and return to their hometown has caused severe socioeconomic issues in China. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to migrant worker literature by revealing the micro-mechanism underlying migrant workers’ return-to-hometown intention and turnover. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from a convenience sample from seven Chinese companies that employed migrant workers (n=147). The authors used path analysis to test the hypotheses. Findings Migrant workers’ family encouragement of returning to hometown was positively related to their return-to-hometown intention, which subsequently predicted their turnover decision in six months. Further, migrant workers’ perceived career sacrifice associated with returning to hometown weakened the effect of family encouragement to return. Practical implications For organizations that need to retain migrant workers, the findings indicate that it is particularly important to take migrant workers’ family needs and their career-related concerns into account. For migrant workers, the study highlights the importance of assessing gains and losses in the process of making turnover-related decisions. Originality/value This study contributes to migrant worker literature by investigating psychological processes underlying migrant workers return-to-hometown intention and the subsequent turnover from a micro perspective.

Impact of Foreign Worker Migration on Wage and Labor Market in Thailand

2015 ◽  
pp. 66-79
Author(s):  
Siriwan Saksiriruthai
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Migrant Worker ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Foreign Worker ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Foreign Labor ◽  
Native Workers ◽  
The Impact

This chapter focuses on Thailand's foreign labor migration, which has played a critical role in the economic development of Thailand. Emphasizing both positive and negative effects of foreign migration to the Thai labor market, Thailand economy, and sustainability in economic development, this chapter separates foreign migrant workers into two types, legal and illegal, and analyzes the impact of each type of migrant worker on wages, labor market, Thai economy, innovation, and sustainability. While foreign skilled laborers, who usually receive formal work permits from the Thai government, as well as capital and native workers are complements, the unskilled or low-skilled workers, usually from neighbor countries, as well as capital and native workers, are substitutes. Furthermore, the impact of each group of foreign migrants on economic development and government reactions (as reflected in migration policies) is also elaborated before discussion for migration and development in the long term.

Assessing socio-economic development in Bodoland Territorial Area District of Assam in India

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 1541-1559
Author(s):  
Nicodim Basumatary ◽  
Bhagirathi Panda
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Social Characteristics ◽  
Eastern Region ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Socio Economic Development

PurposeThe study attempts to assess the socio-economic development in Bodoland Territorial Area District (BTAD) of Assam in North Eastern Region of India. This region is one of the most underdeveloped areas in India. The study also examines whether demographic and social characteristics in the form of social groups, number of family members, number of employed members in the family, education of the head of household, sources of income and location determine the variation in the level of socio-economic development. The authors surveyed 400 households during February to May 2018 in both rural and urban areas of BTAD to achieve the objective of the study.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use the concept of Amartya Sen's capability approach (CA) for assessment of development and constructed an index of Multidimensional Development.FindingsThere is variation in the distribution of developmental parameters across the study area. It is found that urban locations have better achievement in the multidimensional index score, while the spread of development is not even in the rural locations. An interesting revelation of this study is that while urban areas depict better performance in income, asset, education and empowerment, they have a relatively lower score in health dimension as compared to rural areas. The study shows that level of development depends on demographic as well as social characteristics of the households.Research limitations/implicationsThis study does not analyse temporal dynamics of development that is necessary to examine how development evolves because of data constraints.Originality/valueThe study provides an understanding of the socio-economic development in BTAD area in a multidimensional framework. This study is the first of its kind to assess the nature and extent of development realised in BTAD through the capability framework. The study supports more recent findings.

scholarly journals The workplace meal: a migrant workers' perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 361-375
Author(s):  
Hande Turkoglu ◽  
Lorraine Brown ◽  
Philippa Hudson
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Migrant Worker ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Food Culture ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Country Food ◽  
Food Offering

PurposeEmployees eat at least one meal per day in the workplace on a regular basis, carrying implications for their physical and emotional well-being. For migrants, this can be challenging, owing to food culture differences. This study explores migrant workers’ perceptions of the food eaten in the hospitality workplace.Design/methodology/approachEleven in-depth, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were carried out with migrant workers in three- and four-star hotels in the southwest of England.FindingsThe findings show that the food eaten in the workplace is perceived as unhealthy and fattening and therefore unappealing. This partly informs a decision to eat home country food away from work.Research limitations/implicationsFurther research is needed across many more organisations to investigate whether this would actually have the positive impact on employee well-being (migrant or home national) and employer reputation.Practical implicationsProviding additional “off-menu” meals for migrant employees is recognised. However, staff turnover within the hotel environment may mean that dishes acceptable to one nationality may not be acceptable to another. Alternatively, it may be that attention to such details and the provision of a food offering that is seen as fit for purpose by staff may reduce turnover and demonstrate “care” on the part of the employer. An annual staff survey could be conducted to gauge employee opinion.Social implicationsThis study helps to show the significance of food for migrant well-being. It highlights that in increasingly globalised workplaces, food provision is important for both emotional and physical health. The study's findings have relevance to other multicultural workplaces where the food provided to staff may have consequences for employee well-being.Originality/valueLittle research has focused on the link between the food consumed in the hospitality workplace and migrant worker well-being. This study therefore makes an important contribution to knowledge by exploring feelings about the food eaten at work from the perspective of migrant workers themselves.

The politics of consent in the casino economy

2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 408-422 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex H. Choi
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Migrant Worker ◽  
Migration Policy ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Wealth Accumulation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working Classes ◽  
Capitalist State ◽  
The Government ◽  
Pluralist Approach

Purpose Accompanying the casino liberalization in Macau has been the massive increase in the importation of migrant workers to drive the labour-intensive, service-oriented economic growth there. Nevertheless, the employment of migrant workers has become an intensely contentious issue. The traditional pluralist approach to migration policy has highlighted a mismatch between restrictive policy pronouncements and actual expansive outcomes. This mismatch has resonated strongly in Macau, where the number of migrant workers skyrocketed in the last decade in spite of repeated guarantees from the government of the adoption of a protectionist labour policy. The pluralist approach has attributed the mismatch to strong constituencies supporting more immigration. The purpose of this paper is to dispute this and maintain that the Macau Government is a capitalist state committed to increasing labour importation to facilitate wealth accumulation. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses a qualitative approach based on extensive research of news and media reports, facilitated by a close observation of political developments. Findings The Macau Government started, in 2005, to talk about reforming its labour importation programme by adding a migrant worker levy, a ratio mechanism and a six-month waiting period. This paper investigates how the capitalist state navigated the reform process by promising changes and building consent with the working classes. The author maintains that “a game of protection” has been constructed and played to secure the consent of the local working classes for the migrant worker programme. Originality/value Very little literature is available that has studied the changes made to the migrant worker system in Macau. This paper will help to close this gap.

Labor migration from Southeast Asia to Taiwan: issues, public responses and future development

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian-Bang Deng ◽  
Hermin Indah Wahyuni ◽  
Vissia Ita Yulianto
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Social Inequality ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Labor Migration ◽  
Migrant Worker ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transnational Mobility ◽  
Migrant Laborers

PurposeThis paper is mainly focused on labor migration from Southeast Asia to Taiwan, showing a route of south–south mobility and discussing the causes of migrant workers in Taiwan, the issues faced by migrant workers as well as public response to migrant workers.Design/methodology/approachBesides a literate review on the topic of migrant worker researches in Taiwan, the data for this research was also based on qualitative interviews and observations conducted both in the fieldwork in Taiwan and in Indonesia between June and August during the summer of 2018.FindingsThe transnational mobility let many migrants from Southeast Asian countries to Taiwan end up losing their cultural capital and “make money” instead. For these migrants, they have experienced a downward social mobility of class through transnational mobility.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalizability. More migrant laborers from various origin countries were encouraged to include for further research.Practical implicationsLabor migration cases from Southeast Asia to Taiwan could very well serve as good examples in the carrying out of a reflection on the limit of focusing on social science only inside nation-states in order to push a forward thinking on the transnationalization of social inequality.Originality/valueThis paper calls attention to the close linkage between transnational mobility and social inequality. It showed how the transnationalization of social inequality could get new faces through the new waves of labor migration.

Social inclusion of migrant workers in a pandemic: employing consumer vulnerability lens to internal Indian migrant experience

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Archana Preeti Voola ◽  
Subhasis Ray ◽  
Ranjit Voola
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Migrant Worker ◽  
Illustrative Case ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Internal Migrant ◽  
Consumer Vulnerability ◽  
And Control

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to expand the theoretical understanding of social inclusion of vulnerable populations. Employing cross disciplinary literature from marketing and social policy, this paper examines the factors shaping internal migrant workers experience of inclusion and vulnerability in the context of COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a review of social inclusion and consumer vulnerability literature to develop a new and innovative conceptual framework which operationalises social inclusion. This framework was then examined using an illustrative case study of internal migrant worker crisis in India. Data for the case were collected from various national and international media, government and non-government reports published in English on the pandemic related migrant crisis in India.FindingsAccess and control over food was fraught with barriers for migrant workers. As the lockdown progressed, access to and control over work opportunities was precarious. Furthermore, the resource-control constraints faced by migrant workers in terms of food, work and transport had a direct impact on their experience of social inclusion. Lastly, the stranded migrant workers found themselves unable to fully participate in economic activities.Originality/valueTo the authors’ knowledge this is the first paper that integrates consumer vulnerability concept, originating in marketing scholarship into the social inclusion framework. This allowed for anchoring the “aspirational goals” of social inclusion into the concrete context of consumers and marketplaces.

Culture, names and economic development

2016 ◽  
pp. 81-106
Author(s):  
E. Borisova ◽  
A. Kulkova
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Economic Research ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Individual Values ◽  
Personal Names ◽  
Economic Significance ◽  
And Behavior

Various components of culture have long been in the focus of economic research. Numerous empirical studies show that cultural norms, as well as religion and language, matter for economic development and have not only statistical but also economic significance. This paper considers various examples of how culture can affect individual values and behavior. It also deals with personal names as a key marker of one’s cultural identity. Overall, the paper contributes to the more profound understanding of a famous notion that "culture matters", and helps clarify the mechanisms through which culture exerts its influence.

Financial access and economic development: the moderating role of financial consumer protection

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 406-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maryam Kriese ◽  
Joshua Yindenaba Abor ◽  
Elikplimi Agbloyor
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
World Bank ◽  
Financial Literacy ◽  
Compliance Monitoring ◽  
Financial Access ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
Moderating Role

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating role of financial consumer protection (FCP) in the access–development nexus. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on cross-country data on 102 countries surveyed in the World Bank Global Survey on FCP and Financial Literacy (2013). The White heteroscedasticity adjusted regressions and Two-stage least squares regressions (2SLS) are used for the estimation. Findings Interactions between FCP regulations that foster fair treatment, disclosure, dispute resolution and recourse and financial access have positive net effects on economic development. However, there is no sufficient evidence to suggest that interactions between financial access and enforcement and compliance monitoring regulations have a significant effect on economic development. Practical implications First, policy makers should continue with efforts aimed at instituting FCP regimes as part of strategies aimed at broadening access to financial services for enhanced economic development. Second, instituting FCP regimes per se may not be enough. Policy makers need to consider possible intervening factors such as the provision of adequate resources and supervisory authority, for compliance monitoring and enforcement to achieve the expected positive effect on economic development. Originality/value This study extends evidence in the law–finance–growth literature by providing empirical evidence on the effect of legal institution specific to the protection of retail financial consumers on the access–development nexus using a nouvel data set, the World Bank Global survey on FCP and Financial Literacy (2013).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document