ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the relationships between the degree of enconomic development, the spatial extent of modernization, and the spatial and structural characteristics of internal migration generated in phases II—III of the ‘mobility transition’; the prime focus is on the developing countries. In spatial terms, the ideal-typical dichotomization of the centre and periphery has stressed the bipolar structure and functional interaction of developmental space. Some additional comments can be made on the migration networks. While seasonal and other forms of temporary migration may fall within the typology proposed, its role is less clearly innovative or conservative. Apart from the obvious impact of migration on settlement, there are also effects on socioeconomic, political and demographic spatial patterns. The concept, and even the terminology, are immediately suggestive for migration theory. Population redistribution, internal migration, provide one key to understanding the organization and evolution of space in developing countries, as in the developed world.
