ODI-将移民作为机遇：创新，政策和实践分析报告（英文）-2020.7-38页_335kb

Migration as Opportunity: Innovation, Policies and Practice

Core Content

This working paper explores how migration can be leveraged as a tool for sustainable development through targeted programmatic and policy interventions. It presents a framework for "productive migration," which refers to the process of unlocking the socioeconomic benefits of migration for all stakeholders—migrants, host communities, and countries of origin. The paper highlights the need for more effective and inclusive approaches to migration policy and practice, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has underscored both the risks and the importance of migration in global economies.

Main Viewpoints

• Migration as a driver of development: Migrants contribute significantly to development outcomes, both in their countries of origin and in host countries. These contributions extend beyond economic benefits to include social and community-level impacts.
• Two types of interventions: The paper categorises productive migration interventions into two broad types:
  1. Interventions that create or expand migration pathways – designed to increase migration opportunities for skilled workers, entrepreneurs, and others.
  2. Interventions that maximise contributions of existing migrants – aimed at enhancing the socioeconomic benefits of migrants already in host countries.
• Covid-19 as an opportunity: The pandemic has highlighted the critical role of migrants in sustaining economies and has created a renewed focus on policies that support their contributions while protecting their rights and safety.
• Need for holistic and inclusive approaches: Interventions must be designed with an understanding of the political economy, address policy barriers, build trust among stakeholders, and consider gender and other inequalities.
• Designing for outcomes: Successful interventions should be grounded in clear social and economic outcomes, with a theory of change that outlines how they will lead to these outcomes.

Key Information

1. New or Expanded Migration Pathways

• Host country-designed pathways: These include shortage occupation lists, circular migration schemes, and industry-specific entry routes.
  • Shortage lists: Used to identify skills gaps and facilitate recruitment of migrant workers. Examples include Malaysia and the UK.
  • Circular migration: Temporary work schemes that allow migrants to return home and be re-recruited. Examples include New Zealand and the Pacific.
  • Start-up visas: Designed to attract entrepreneurs and investors. Thailand's SMART visa is a notable example.
• Origin country-designed pathways: These aim to incentivise migration or return, such as the Philippines' state-supported migration and return programmes in China and Jamaica.
• Partnership pathways: Collaborative efforts between host and origin countries to create more effective and sustainable migration routes.

2. Unlocking Contributions of Migrant Populations

• Enhancing access to work and business: Includes creating supportive policy environments, providing skills training, and facilitating access to local business networks.
• Utilising migrant resources: Activities include improving financial literacy, reducing remittance costs, and promoting diaspora investment and skills transfer.
• Examples of successful practices:
  • Directo a Mexico and Saver Asia for efficient remittance transfers.
  • SIDC Sorosoro Ibaba Development Cooperative in the Philippines for community development.
  • AFFORD African Business Centre in Ethiopia and Nigeria for diaspora investment.

3. From Theory to Practice

• Shared challenges:
  • Lack of reliable data on migration.
  • Balancing innovation with risk management.
  • Building trust and coherence among stakeholders.
  • Addressing gender and other inequalities.
• Recommendations for practitioners and policymakers:
  1. Start with an understanding of the political economy.
  2. Address policy barriers and build trust among stakeholders.
  3. Build on existing models and scale successful interventions.
  4. Design interventions with clear outcomes and theories of change.
  5. Embed a focus on rights, inequalities, and vulnerabilities throughout the process.

Conclusion

The paper argues that migration can be a powerful tool for development if properly supported by policies and programs that maximise its socioeconomic potential. It calls for a more integrated, inclusive, and rights-based approach to migration, ensuring that all stakeholders benefit from migration's contributions and that risks are mitigated. The Covid-19 pandemic has created both challenges and opportunities for rethinking migration policy and practice, with a growing emphasis on how to support migrants in a way that aligns with sustainable development goals.