ABSTRACT
This chapter has attempted to show that return migration as part of the international migration process is an extremely important force in generating urban change in Jordan. The specific circumstances of Amman and the Jordanian economy amplify the importance of return migration, but there can be little doubt that similar impacts are being experienced on a smaller scale in other labour exporting regions of the Arab world. Although the physical extension of Amman is the most visible sign of the investment of migrant remittances in the urban economy, more subtle changes are also perceptible. The chapter provides sample surveys that compare and contrast households containing migrants currently working abroad with homes where the head of household had formerly worked abroad. The sample data were carefully examined to identify time-specific variations in the characteristics of Jordanian emigration, and an attempt was made to control the temporal variations in migrant characteristics which might have unduly influenced the conclusions concerning return migration.
