scholarly journals Arrival or Transient Spaces? Differentiated Politics of Mobilities, Socio-Technological Orderings and Migrants’ Socio-Spatial Embeddedness

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 33-43
Author(s):  
Tabea Bork-Hüffer ◽  
Simon Alexander Peth
Keyword(s):  
Differential Inclusion ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Migration Process ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Migration Management ◽  
Highly Skilled Migrants ◽  
Lively Debate ◽  
Shed Light

<p>For the last decade there has been a lively debate on urban arrival spaces. Saunders’ (2011) widely received book <em>Arrival Cities</em> can be seen as catalyst of this debate. Taking a hitherto largely unexplored comparative approach, based on two empirical research studies on migrant workers and highly-skilled migrants in Singapore, this study debates the notion of arrival cities and spaces and argues for a differentiated perspective on the complex and interdependent processes of spatially and socially arriving. By comparing how the politics of mobilities, migration management and differential inclusion influence the migration trajectories of workers and professionals we argue that the concept of transient spaces might be a more fruitful approach for understanding the differentiated processes of arriving and (not) becoming socio-spatially embedded. In order to educe the relevance of a processual perspective, and for a systematic comparison, we apply four analytical dimensions that shed light on the process of migrating, arriving, and passing through. These four dimensions comprise (1) arriving, (2) settling, (3) mingling locally and translocally, and (4) planning ahead for future mobilities. We argue that the scholarship on politics of mobilities needs to take note of the combined effects of states’ and companies’ neoliberal politics of mobility throughout the migration process, and of the increasing relevance of socio-technological orderings, which imprint migrants’ socio-spatial embedding.</p>

The State Connection in China's Rural-Urban Migration

2005 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 354-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Guang
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Special Kind ◽  
The State ◽  
Urban Migration ◽  
Migration Process ◽  
State Textile ◽  
Facilitative Role ◽  
Rural Urban Migration ◽  
Urban State

This study explores the role of China's rural local state-owned and urban state-owned units in its rural-urban migration process. Most studies on Chinese migration have focused on migrants moving from rural to urban areas through informal mechanisms outside of the state's control. They therefore treat the Chinese state as an obstructionist force and dismiss its facilitative role in the migration process. By documenting rural local states' “labor export” strategies and urban state units' employment of millions of peasants, this article provides a corrective to the existing literature. It highlights and explains the state connection in China's rural-urban migration. Labor is … a special kind of commodity. What we do is to fetch a good price for this special commodity. Labor bureau official from Laomei county, 1996 If we want efficiency, we have to hire migrant workers. Party secretary of a state textile factory in Shanghai, 1997

Theorising violence in mobility: A case of Nepali women migrant workers

2021 ◽  
pp. 146470012110464
Author(s):  
Barbara Grossman-Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
State Policy ◽  
Women Migrants ◽  
Migration Process ◽  
Theoretical Approaches ◽  
The Feminine ◽  
Nepali Women ◽  
Depth Interviews

In this article, I examine violence as constitutive of mobility for the feminine diasporic subject through an examination of women migrant workers from Nepal. I frame this project with two distinct theoretical approaches to understanding violence. First, I draw upon Catharine MacKinnon's provocative question ‘Are women human?’ to elucidate points of disjuncture between individual women migrants and state policy that dehumanises them. Second, I address some of the gaps in MacKinnon's work by turning to Judith Butler's theory of violence as primarily embodied in the corporeal subject. Drawing on 30 in-depth interviews with returned women migrant workers, I examine three moments in the migration process that demonstrate how violence operates ubiquitously in and through circuits of mobility. I conclude that by putting Butler's and Mackinnon's approaches to violence in dialogue and examining the Nepali case through a dialectic framework, intriguing possibilities for approaching migration and its problematics are revealed.

Conclusion

2019 ◽  
pp. 110-120
Author(s):  
Leah F. Vosko
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Agricultural Worker ◽  
Work Program ◽  
Incremental Change ◽  
Migration Management ◽  
Legal Case ◽  
Temporary Migrant ◽  
Migrant Work

This concluding chapter reflects on the significance of the legal case of the Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program (SAWP) employeess at Sidhu & Sons for expanding understandings of the meaning of deportability and its applicability to temporary migrant work program (TMWP) participants laboring not only in Canada but also in other relatively high-income host states embracing migration management and the measures it prescribes. Obstacles to limiting deportability writ large will persist so long as migration management dominates paradigmatically. Nevertheless, in combination with the forward-looking organizing efforts already being undertaken by unions and worker centers, in areas where unionization is difficult to achieve partly because of the still-dominant Wagnerian-styled model of unionization, certain modest interventions in policy and practice hold promise in forging change and curbing deportability among temporary migrant workers. Because the foregoing case study focused on the SAWP, the alternatives outlined in this chapter primarily address this TMWP. Given, however, that the SAWP is often touted as a model of migration management, they seek to provide meaningful avenues toward incremental change in other TMWPs in Canada and elsewhere.

Tajikistan’s Bureaucratic Management of Exclusion: Responses to the Russian Reentry Ban Database

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 226-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malika Bahovadinova
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Electronic Database ◽  
Clear Case ◽  
Migration Management ◽  
Subaltern Agency

This article analyzes the consequences of the Russian Federation’s introduction of an electronic database that dynamically generates lists of individuals with reentry bans, with a focus on its effect on the Tajik migration management bureaucracy and Tajik migrant workers. Countering standard narratives about the passive citizenry of authoritarian states, it demonstrates how Tajik citizens change the emphasis in the bureaucracy through their everyday encounters with civil servants and bureaucrats. However, this is not a clear case of subversion or subaltern agency, but rather an engagement that remains structured by capitalist needs for expendable, disciplined, and most importantly deportable alien labor.

Migrants' Skills and Productivity: A European Perspective

2010 ◽  
Vol 213 ◽  
pp. R20-R34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Huber ◽  
Michael Landesmann ◽  
Catherine Robinson ◽  
Robert Stehrer
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Positive Role ◽  
Native Workers ◽  
Downward Pressure ◽  
Highly Skilled Migrants ◽  
Highly Skilled ◽  
Robust Evidence ◽  
The Eu

The freedom of movement of persons is one of the core tenets of the European Union. Immigration however is often seen as a cause for concern amongst native workers, as rising labour supply may threaten jobs and create downward pressure on wages. National politicians are increasingly under pressure to guard against it — in times of recession particularly. Despite this, there is evidence that highly-skilled migrant labour has the potential to raise competitiveness significantly and in theory this may feed into productivity. In this paper, we explore first the composition of inward migration to the EU and within the EU, concentrating specifically on the role of the highly-skilled and the extent to which migrants are overqualified within their jobs. We then analyse whether migrant workers affect productivity at the sectoral level. We find under-utilisation of skilled foreign labour and there is little evidence in general to suggest that migrants have raised productivity which may in part be attributable to over-qualification. However, we find robust evidence that migrants — particularly highly-skilled migrants — play a positive role in productivity developments in industries which are classified as ‘skill intensive’.

Organizing Latin American workers in Japan

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Stewart ◽  
Andy Danford ◽  
Edson Urano
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Union Membership ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Original Data ◽  
Weight Of Evidence ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess difficulties facing the unionization of foreign workers focusing on the experience of trade unionists in Union MIE, an exemplar of what in Japan is known as a community union (sometimes described as a form of Minority union – Stewart, 2006). Union MIE is characterized by its orientation to the social and political agenda of Latin American workers, among whom Brazilians form the most numerous group. The paper also addresses the precarious nature of workers’ employment including the condition of labor. The increasing significance of community unions raises the question as to the possibility of the reregulation of worker interests in ways not fully encompassed by traditional labor market-focused unions. Design/methodology/approach The paper explores unique interviews using snowball technique and direct questionnaires to union membership of community union in Japan. Findings The increasing significance of community unions raises the question as to the possibility of the reregulation of worker interests in ways not fully encompassed by traditional labor market-focused unions. In addition to having relevance to the wider discussion on union decline, this paper contributes to the debate on migrant workers, their condition of labor and one form of labor organization responsive to their concerns. Research limitations/implications A comparative approach would add even more to the weight of evidence accrued in the paper. Practical implications Mainstream trade unions need to anticipate that the concerns of migrant and precarious workers will become increasingly common among their erstwhile “regularly” employed membership and so the activities of community and minority unions need to be taken on board in an organic, as opposed to an opportunistic, manner. Originality/value From unique interviews using snowball technique and direct questionnaires to union membership of community union in Japan, the paper presents original data not typically accessible in Anglo-Saxon research tradition.

scholarly journals The economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Sri Lankan migrants in Qatar

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anoji Ekanayake ◽  
Kopalapillai Amirthalingam
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Financial Stability ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Skill Levels ◽  
Highly Skilled Migrants ◽  
Highly Skilled ◽  
Financial Issue ◽  
Pay Cuts ◽  
Depth Interviews

AbstractThe spread of Covid-19 in Qatar and the pandemic-led economic slump in the country have substantial financial implications for Sri Lankan migrant workers in Qatar and the Sri Lankan economy as a whole, as Qatar has been one of the primary destinations among Sri Lankan migrants in recent years. Based on 12 in-depth interviews and an online survey of 101 Sri Lankan workers in Qatar, this paper assesses the pandemic’s financial implications on three groups of Sri Lankan migrants; the highly-skilled, skilled and semi-skilled. Using a mixed-method analysis, the paper identifies that pay-cuts have been the most common financial issue across all skill levels, with nearly half of respondents reporting deductions from their salaries. The research also identifies that while all three groups of migrants have used various coping mechanisms to mitigate the pandemic’s financial impact, highly-skilled migrants have been more successful in weathering the storm than others due to their accumulated savings. Though compared to the early months of the pandemic, the financial stability of most Sri Lankans in Qatar had improved by September 2020 with the easing of restrictions imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19, it might not necessarily transfer into stability in remittances to Sri Lanka, as an increasing number of Sri Lankan migrant workers in Qatar are considering a permanent return home.

scholarly journals Business School Professors’ Perception of Ethics in Education in Europe

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 608
Author(s):  
Debora Gottardello ◽  
Maria Pàmies
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Study ◽  
European Country ◽  
Business Education ◽  
Business School ◽  
Business Schools ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Ethical Awareness ◽  
Socially Responsible ◽  
Four Dimensions ◽  
Shed Light

This qualitative study aims to investigate business school professors’ perception of ethics in business education, and their possible role in achieving ethical awareness in these schools. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 59 professors from four business schools, each from a different European country. The results show that participants define ethics along four dimensions, and express two divergent forms of implementing it. These differ by the country in which the business school is located. The findings shed light on the issues of ethics and sustainability in business education, and the importance of preparing students to become responsible leaders. For that purpose, we develop recommendations to foster ethics and sustainability in education in business schools in order to develop more socially responsible citizens.

Turning the Table on the Exploitative Recruitment of Migrant Workers: The Cambodian Experience

2012 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 464-485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenna K. Holliday
Keyword(s):  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Domestic Workers ◽  
Labour Migration ◽  
Rapid Rate ◽  
Debt Bondage ◽  
Migration Management ◽  
Sustainable System ◽  
The Government ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Real Chance

Abstract In 2009, regular labour migration from Cambodia to Malaysia grew at a rapid rate. As the result of a ban imposed by Indonesia, Cambodia’s private sector responded by immediately recruiting to fill the void. The number of women recruited, trained and sent to Malaysia was too high for the Cambodian Government to keep track of and by 2010 reports of underage recruitment, debt bondage and abuse in training centres were growing. Unable to control the recruitment agencies and with growing numbers of reports of abuse in Malaysia, Cambodia banned the sending of domestic workers to Malaysia in 2011. Since this ban, the government has been working to strengthen the system of labour migration management. The changes under way do little, however, to address the specific problems that existed before the ban. In addition, in developing initiatives that are restricted to the establishment of an agreement with Malaysia, increasing regulation and improving conditions in training centres, Cambodia is missing an opportunity to establish a comprehensive and self-sustainable system of protection, welfare and support for migrant workers. Cambodia has a unique opportunity to set up enduring systems that can regulate recruiters and protect migrants as the sector expands to other countries and other industries. In not taking full advantage of this opportunity, there is a real chance that this ban will not be the last.

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