Comparative perspectives on rural migration and development

Out-migration from rural areas to industrial cities characterized the historical experience of more developed nations and transformed their social, demographic, economic, political, and cultural patterns. Systematic research on the determinants and consequences of rural out-migration in less developed nations has helped to isolate the unique features of the processes and has enhanced comparative and historical generalizations. The absence of educational differentiation in Sri Lankan migration suggests that some rural migrations are less tied to processes of social and economic development associated with education. The development of agriculture in Mali results in increased migration and increased stratification and inequality. The links between inequality and migration relate to processes of differentiation in the early period of economic development. The methodological bias inherent in examining cross-sectional residuals suggests, for example, that the similarity in employment levels among migrants and life-time urban residents may be the result of return migration among the unemployed.