ABSTRACT
The preceding chapters have vividly described the impact of globalisation, bringing with it the ‘push’ imperative of migration, from East to West and from South to North. The advanced industrialised countries of Europe, North America and Australasia have both ‘welcomed’ and deterred migrant workers, sending out mixed messages that are ‘encouraging’ of certain forms of migration, at the same time as they are strengthening national borders and tightening immigration controls. This chapter therefore provides an opportunity to review the findings and arguments raised in the preceding chapters and to move towards an overall analysis of why there are barriers to successful labour market integration and what measures it might be possible to adopt to address them. The chapter thus reflects on some of the key issues raised in the book. First, it reviews whom we are describing when we talk about migration, migrants and refugees. It then focuses on the impacts of racism and gender on the experiences of migration. It reviews the extent to which the theories of human and social capital provide an appropriate or adequate account of the migrant experience, particularly where it is immersed in low-skilled, low-paid, marginal labour. The chapter then turns to consider the role of the state, its responsibilities and the impact of its immigration policies on migrants. It concludes by reflecting on whether migration could represent a positive vehicle for change through its capacity to challenge discrimination and to forge effective engagements between host and new communities.
