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| THEORY SCHOOLS OF LABOR MIGRATION AND PERSPECTIVES FROM GEOGRAPHY |
| GAO Yan-hui1, LIU Ke-wei1, ZHANG Xiao-lu2 |
1. Department of Urban and Resource Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an 710127, China;
2. Department of Resources Environment and Urban Science, Xianyang Normal College, Xianyang 712000, China |
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Abstract Migration is a complex phenomenon, and it should be studied from different perspectives. This paper gives a simple review of labor migration theory, and classifies them into four schools: First, macro-structure transition theory; Second, personal decision and cost-benefit framework; Third, household decision, social structure and return-risk framework; Forth, migration-environment relationship analysis.It believes Pull-Push theory is a synthesis and practical theory. All of these theories provide insights on understanding of migration. Diversity of Scale and factors should be incorporated in theoretical research, especially the interaction between natural system and social system; Different paradigm-model analysis will educe different polices for migration in developing countries; Boundary lines among subject disciplines fade away, Economy, Sociology, Demography, Geography all depict and interpret migration phenomenon. Any discipline has opportunity to demonstrate its strength and advantage in migration study.
Then paper summarizes the traditional views of labor in human geography, from location theory to institutional approaches. Geographers' Perspectives are changing from location factor to local labor market, from spatial flow to regulation and status in globalization. Compared with mature theories of labor migration in economics, migration researches in human geography have no mature framework or theoretical core.
Also this paper gives a survey of rural-urban migration researches in geography. In China, geographers have done lots of work, which help understanding migration and urbanization. Geographers in domestic:1) prefer to describe the spatial structure of migration, including distribution of peasant-workers in rural-urban migration; 2) do more work on the impacts of migration, not the conditions or process of migration decision; 3) pay more attention to the destination of migration, such as the changing of urban structure and economy growth, the impacts on rural areas are usually ignored.
Domestic geographers have to do more to demonstrate the strength of geography science. First, try to understand rural-urban migration from man-milieu relationships tradition, put useful suggestion to sustainable development; Second, should take into account more factors, such as culture and institution; Third, do more field work and john formal and informal status together. apply more modern technologies in analyzing and representing decision and performance of migration. Forth, construct geographical core for migration theory.
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Received: 25 September 2007
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2008, Vol. 23 
