Internal Migration as a Life-Course Trajectory: An Introduction

Abstract

Migration is emerging as a defining issue of the twenty-first century. Its role in transforming the size, distribution and composition of populations will only grow as more countries transition to below-replacement fertility. This is particularly true for internal migration – a change region of residence within national borders – as internal migrants globally outnumber international migrants by a factor of 4 to 1. In that context, advancing understanding of the internal migration decision-making process is of growing importance. The book contends that this can be achieved by taking into account the impact of past migrations, including those early in life, on future migration behavior To that end, the book introduces an innovative cohort approach to understanding human migration that explicitly links migration to the life course, illuminates the timing of migration and thereby helps explain the marked differences between countries in lifetime internal migration. This chapter begins by providing the rationale for situating current migration behavior into a wider migration trajectory and its particular value in the European context. It then introduces a conceptual and methodological framework for the analysis of migration as a life-course trajectory. The chapter goes on to present a two-step cohort approach that combines macro and micro modes of analysis, before outlining the chapters contained in this volume.