ABSTRACT
Over the past two centuries, international migration has fundamentally changed in terms of volume, destination, and origin. Yet there is no one theory that explains migration; rather a number of different theoretical approaches have been advanced to understand the factors that enable and sustain migration. This chapter explores historical and contemporary patterns of international migration and discusses the key theoretical models that have been put forward to understand them. It also directs our attention to the role that the state plays, discussing whether and to what extent states matter in international migration.
