ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the relationship between poverty and migration through the lens of the capabilities approach to human development. A theory central to the intersection of migration and human development is the aspirations–capabilities framework, which explains why migration occurs when development happens. Migration is a natural process that is complicated by the tension between human security and national security. Many people migrate for rational, and often mixed, reasons in search of jobs, opportunities, or safety and security, yet a system that forces irregular migration perpetuates inequalities and creates an environment ripe for exploitation and human rights violations. Many states, particularly developed ones, erect virtual and physical barriers or otherwise attempt to control access in the name of national security. Economic, geographic, demographic, and political patterns and trends that range from anti-immigrant sentiment to global efforts to cooperate on migration governance frameworks affect the current reality of migration. Case studies on labor and mixed migration investigate the connections to the capabilities approach while two policy areas – labor and refugee– offer insights on the complexities of the migration policy debate.
