ABSTRACT
Circular migration is primarily an African phenomenon; in Latin America it is less common to return to the original place of residence. Rising population in under developed countries (UDCs) increases the pressure on cultivable land. The implications of rising population for migration are related to the trends in rural output. There are two factors relevant to a brief examination of the conditions of rural labour in UDCs: the deterioration of agricultural output and standards of living in many UDCs; and the mixed nature of the work undertaken by rural inhabitants. The variety of migration usually evoked by the phrases 'urban drift' and 'urban hypertrophy' is rural to urban migration. It is clear that while migration can be 'explained' to some extent by economic factors, there are many residuals to be taken into account, too. In part these residuals must represent errors in the specification of the variables, and the crudeness of much of the data used in testing.
