The Benefits of Interdisciplinary Approaches in Migration Research

More than most other topics in the social sciences, the study of migration benefits significantly when examined within the context of a multi-disciplinary framework. This point is well illustrated by Migration and Restructuring in the United States, a collection of fourteen works, which is subtitled “A Geographic Perspective.” While the focus is indeed geographic, a recurring theme throughout this book is that economic, social, and demographic factors influence the spatial distribution of immigrants, and that this spatial distribution in turn has economic, social, and demographic consequences.

The strength of this book lies in its wide applicability. It includes geographic analysis, but then amplifies traditional paradigms to include a mix of economic and demographic methodology and theoretical frameworks. While the authors use case studies that are primarily set in the context of recent American experience, many of the conclusions should prove useful for anyone examining population flows in a broader international context.

The individual works are presented in three separate sections: the first examines the impact of economic influences on spatial distribution; the second concentrates on demographic influences; and the third consists of three articles examining the importance of methodological frontiers in migration research.

The first section of Migration and Restructuring in the United States examines the links between changes in economic variables, both at the micro and macro levels, and the movement of population. Through five individual case studies, these articles effectively illustrate a symbiotic relationship between economic variables and migration. For example, in his study on one of the poorest regions of the United States, the Appalachia, Brian Cushing shows how the movement of workers can lead to long-term economic decline. This contrasts with the piece by Lawrence Brown, Linda Lobao, and Scott Digiacinto, who turn the relationship around by examining the role of economic change in determining migration patterns in the Ohio River Valley. This section of the book also includes an interesting perspective by Thomas Espenshade, Jessica Baraka, and Gregory Huber who focus on public policy at the national level. They closely examine the combined effects of the federal Welfare Reform Act and Immigration Reform Act, both introduced in 1996, and argue that specific combinations of major changes in non-citizen eligibility for welfare coupled with higher standards of financial self-sufficiency for legal immigrants have significantly changed the framework in which individual migration decisions will be made. The authors posit that the reforms have not taken into account the possible adaptive behaviors of people who will be affected by this legislation, and that this may in fact result in the unintended consequence of increasing the incentive for illegal immigration while simultaneously reducing the number of legal immigrants.

All three sections of the book include a wealth of data and useful material, some of which is a thorough compilation and presentation of existing information, while some is more original and current research. The second section of this book is especially strong. Focusing on the relationship between migration and demographic variables, it is rich in statistical information and addresses a wide variety of topics. Eric Moore and Donald McGuiness turn to an examination of internal migration and empirical evidence that reveals the uneven spatial distribution of the elderly population, a phenomenon that is likely to become more pronounced in the future. Although their case study uses a Canadian population sample, the conclusions are applicable to future trends in the United States as well. Peter Rogerson continues the examination of elderly population trends by linking the geographical implications of the “future elderly”—the present-day baby boomers—and the migration tendencies of their children. In other papers, K. Bruce Newbold, Patricia Gober, as well as Wiliam Frey and Kao-Lee Liaw follow the internal migration patterns of immigrant groups after their arrival, thereby concentrating on the long-term impact of immigration.

The third, final, and shortest section of this volume includes three articles that, in addition to presenting their own unique...