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Exercise 1

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Wymień najczęstsze przyczyny migracji. Podaj przykład migracji z uwzględnieniem kierunku, czasu oraz przyczyn.

Wymień najczęstsze przyczyny migracji. Podaj przykład migracji z uwzględnieniem kierunku, czasu oraz przyczyn.

Create a thought map that shows the division of migrations by cause, direction, and duration.

Definitions and size of migrations

The Polish version of one of the global encyclopedias available on the Internet provides an exceptionally generalized term for migration – movement of population aimed at changing the place of stay. ‘Movement’ is a clear term, but ‘place of stay’ is not.
The English and German versions of the same encyclopedia speak of a relocation with the intent to settle down – this definition is significantly narrower than the Polish version.

A broad definition allows to divide migrations according to various criteria. One of these is the duration of the relocation. Temporary migration, in contrast to permanent migration, is a journey with the intent to return. Temporary migrations may be regular (recurring from time to time), or irregular. Another criterion is the reach of the migrations: external migrations, unlike internal migrations, involve the crossing of administrative borders, not only between countries.

The next criterion is the reason for the journey. Migration can be either voluntary or forced. About 10–15 million people are refugees – individuals who left their countries in fear of persecution. Among migrants, there are repatriates – people who were previously forced to leave their places of residence, but who are returning to them. Most often, however, migrations happen for economic reasons, i.e., improving the standard of living of the individuals or their families. Migrations may also be religious, health‑related, or social.

Main directions of migrations in the world

Although people migrate in all directions, the volume of flow is not the same. If we use the methodology of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and divide the world into a rich North and a poor South, we will have 4 directions of migrations. The most numerous are South‑North and South‑South.

Examples of the former include migration from Mexico to the United States or from Turkey to Germany, and the latter – from Bangladesh to India and from Afghanistan to Pakistan.
The most numerous migrations within highly developed countries are Germany – United States and Great Britain – Australia.
The North‑South flow is mostly the United States – Mexico and Germany – Turkey. At the same time, these are examples of re‑emigration, i.e., return to the home country.

Consequences of migratory flows

Both the inflow and outflow of people have consequences for the country of emigrationemigrationemigration and destination. The assessment of some is clear, while others – debatable.
The destination country gains workers who are often prepared to take on jobs that are too unattractive in terms of conditions and pay for its permanent residents. Sometimes they make up for shortages in the number of employees who have retired because of their age. Some migrants are educated and therefore immediately become productive workers. Even if they work illegally, they buy from legal shops, thus paying indirect taxes. So, the country gains economically.
Since the majority of arrivals are young people, the birth rate increases. This is important for countries that are at Stage 4 and Stage 5 of the demographic transition model.
The arriving people enrich the culture of the immigrationimmigrationimmigration country through, for example, cuisine, traditions, and clothing. Their presence helps the inhabitants broaden their knowledge of the world.

But there are many negative consequences too. The departure of educated people is a ‘brain drain’ that deprives the country of people with high potential, whose education costs are not reimbursed. Young emigrants give birth to children in new countries, hence the decline in birth rates in their home countries. Among the Polish women who arrived in the UK after 2004, the average fertility rate was 2.13, compared to 1.3 in Poland.

Children whose parents have emigrated remain under the care of further relatives. This is not a situation conducive to development. Long‑term separation can lead to health and upbringing problems, as well as poor results at school.

External migrations of Poles

The Polish emigration has a long history. The first Polish settlers in North America appeared as early as 1608. The country’s later political fate and economic situation caused numerous and multi‑directional migratory flows – to the countries of Western Europe, into the depths of Russia, to the United States, and South America. After the Second World War, a large part of the soldiers of the Polish Armed Forces in the West did not return to communist Poland, dispersing themselves around the world. In the post‑war history, Poland was an emigration country. This movement increased after the accession to the European Union and the opening of the labor markets in Western Europe.

Present data of the Central Statistical Office are not fully reliable, because they are based on administrative (registration) information, and many emigrants do not comply with these laws. At present, it is estimated that about 20 million Poles and people of Polish origin live outside Poland. Hundreds of thousands of people (e.g. in the USA, Brazil, France, Belarus) only have Polish ancestors, but want to be considered part of the Polish community abroad, while hundreds of thousands of others live and work outside Poland (e.g. in the UK, Ireland, Germany), but do not consider themselves emigrants.

Keywords

emigration, immigration, migratory flows, remigrationremigrationremigration, repatriationrepatriationrepatriation

Glossary