Migration in cities of the global South: drivers, interactions and socio-demographic consequences

Large scale rural-to-urban migration and associated urbanization in developing countries constitute an opportunity but also a risk for human development. In either case, urbanization may lead to increased international migration.

Our understanding of the interactions between these two phenomena is constrained by the lack of evidence on subnational heterogeneity in international migration, and the traditional divide between internal and international flows in research.

MIC provides the most comprehensive analysis of trends in both types of migration in more than 3000 cities and rural areas spanning all developing regions. We address three substantive research questions.

In project A, we explore how internal and international migrations evolve over time across educational strata of population, the hierarchical distribution of settlements, and the national settings of urbanization. In project B, we examine why migration trends differ across these contexts. In project C, we investigate how migration transforms cities’ socio-demographic potential for human development.

MIC is innovative in its global and comparative perspective on migration among metropolitan populations.

This is enabled by the integration of spatial data and harmonized census records, creative use of indirect demographic estimation techniques, and advanced statistical methods for data analysis. Each of the three sub-projects has the potential for innovative results that are highly policy-relevant.

Projects A & B will provide information on where and why we should expect increased international migration in rapidly urbanizing developing countries, and how this relates to the domestic movements. Project C identifies the consequences of migration for the processes of urbanization and human development.

MIC will help governments to tailor their existing migration and development policies, to maximize the development impact of migration, and to make cities more sustainable.