Publication: Migration from Zambia : Ensuring Temporariness through Cooperation
Date
2007-03
ISSN
Published
2007-03
Author(s)
Amin, Mohammad
Mattoo, Aaditya
Abstract
The paper analyzes migration from Zambia
in order to understand how migration policy can support
development in the least developed countries. Overall
emigration from Zambia is not high by regional standards,
but the pattern of migration is skewed toward the skilled
and away from the unskilled. A development-friendly approach
to migration for Zambia would strive to ensure the
temporariness of both types of movement. First, industrial
countries may be willing to accept a higher level of
unskilled immigration if they could be certain that it is
temporary. Second, any adverse effects of brain drain would
be greatly alleviated if skilled emigration is temporary.
The problem is that host countries cannot unilaterally
ensure temporariness of unskilled migration because
repatriation cannot be accomplished without the help of
source countries like Zambia, and source countries today
have little incentive to facilitate the return of the
unskilled. At the same time, source countries like Zambia
cannot unilaterally ensure temporariness of the skilled
because repatriation cannot be accomplished without the help
of the host countries, and host countries currently have
little incentive to send back the skilled. So, there is a
strong case and considerable scope for cooperation between
source countries like Zambia and destination countries in
the design and implementation of migration policy so that
unskilled migration becomes feasible and skilled migration
takes a more desirable form.
Citation
“Amin, Mohammad; Mattoo, Aaditya. 2007. Migration from Zambia : Ensuring Temporariness through Cooperation. Policy Research Working Paper; No. 4145. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/ccee699b-3b0f-57eb-9a30-f717058ada05 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
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