The South Asia To Gulf Migration Governance Complex

EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. The Gulf is a major global destination for migrant workers, with a majority of these workers coming from South Asia. In this book, a team of international contributors examine the often-overlooked complex governance of this migration corridor. Going beyond state-centric analysis, the contributors present a multi-layered account of the ‘migration governance complex.’ They offer insights not only into the actors involved in the different components of migration governance, but also into the varying ways of interpreting and explaining the meaning and value of these interactions. Together, they enable readers to better understand migration in this important region, while also providing a model for analyzing global migration governance in practice in different parts of the world.

South Asians constitute the largest expatriate population in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. Their contribution in the socio-economic, technological and educational development of GCC nations is immense. This book offers one of the first systematic analysis of South Asia–Gulf migration dynamics and its varied impact on countries such as India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It deals with public policy, socio-economic mobility, remittance policy, global financial crisis and labour issues. Bringing together essays from contributors from around the world, the volume reveals not only the multi-dimensionality of the migration process between the two regions, but also the diversity and the underlying unity of the South Asian countries. This book will be invaluable to scholars and students of migration studies, development studies and sociology as well as policy-makers, administrators, academics, and non-governmental organisations in the field.

This volume explores the reasons behind, and impact of, the migration of South Asian nationals (from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bhutan and Maldives, Afghanistan and Myanmar) in the Gulf countries (Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Bahrain). The authors provide a broad overview of the demographics of the phenomenon, its mechanisms, and focus on the contribution of migrants in various sectors including construction, health and education, and the overall labour market in the Gulf. The book also taps into the regional geo-politics and its links to the South Asian Migration in the Gulf. This book is recommended reading to all those interested in international migration and labour issues.

In this book, a team of international contributors examine the often-overlooked complex governance of the South Asia to Gulf migration corridor. The conclusions drawn enable readers to better understand migration in this region, while also providing a model for analyzing global migration governance in practice in different parts of the world.

In migration studies, the nexus between migration and development in the global South has been meticulously debated. However, a unanimous resolution to this debate has not been found, due to the ever-changing nature of international migration. This book advances knowledge on the global debate on the migration-development relationship by documenting experiences in a number of countries in South Asia. Drawing on the experiences of global South Asians, this volume documents the impact of migration on the social, economic, and political fields in the broader context of development. It also presents a regional experience by looking into the migration-development nexus in the context of South Asia, and analyses the role South Asian migrants and diaspora communities play in the South Asian society. Contributions from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, including sociology, anthropology, political science, international relations and economics, document the development implications of South Asian migration. Broad in scope in terms of contents, timeline of migration, and geographical coverage, the book presents empirically-based case studies involving India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Nepal and their emigrants living and working in different parts of the world. Going beyond reporting the impacts of migration on economic development by highlighting the implications of ‘social development’ on society, this book provides a fascinating contribution to the fields of Asian Development, Migration Studies and South Asian Studies.

This open access Regional Reader provides a contemporary look at the emerging challenges and issues facing South Asian migration amidst covid-19 and discusses a framework for a sustainable and cooperative migration from and within the region, which will impact both the economic and regional development of South Asia. The book draws a focus on this area through an interdisciplinary and holistic lens and follows the three broad areas of migration studies in South Asia: Governance and mobility, Family, health and demography, and Forced migration. It thereby covers a number of issues from South Asian countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and the Maldives. This book is a valuable resource for those who want to understand the dynamics of migration from the largest migrant-sending region in the world and one which will determine the shape of global migration patterns in the future.

South Asians comprise over 15 per cent of all international migrating population, among the highest in the world. The countries of the Persian Gulf are perhaps still the largest recipients of migrant workers. A unique economy has developed between these two regions, with all South Asian nations being major beneficiaries and featuring among the top twenty countries receiving maximum remittances globally. The South Asia Migration Report 2017 is the first of its kind, documenting migration profiles, diaspora, recruitment and remittances, both in individual countries as well as the South Asian region as a whole. It also discusses skilled, unskilled and internal migrations. The volume: includes on-the-ground studies from six nations: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Afghanistan; discusses public policy, effects of global recession on the region and its impact on migration; and examines the process of reintegration of returning migrants. This book will be indispensable for scholars and researchers of economics, development studies, migration and diaspora studies, labour studies and sociology. It will also be useful to policymakers and government institutions working in the area.

This edited volume contains sixteen chapters by eminent scholars on one of the largest migration corridors in the world i.e., between South and South-East Asia and the Gulf region. Asia’s trade and cultural contact with the Gulf date back to ancient historical times. Since the 1970s, the economic rise of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries owing to the discovery of oil has inspired a huge influx of migrant workers from Asia. At present, out of roughly 15 million expatriates in the Gulf region, Asians constitute around 12 million (80 percent). The chapters in this book look at migration from countries like India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Indonesia and Philippines to the different GCC countries. A few chapters also focus on migration from the India state of Kerala- a state where migration to the Gulf is prominent and where remittances make up over 36 percent of the state GDP. Furthermore, the issues covered range from labour practices and policies, citizenship and state protection, human rights, gender and caste as well as diaspora. This book explores the multifaceted nuances of the ‘Asia-Gulf migratory corridor’ and unearths future prospects and strategic implications. The book examines remittance behaviour, changing gender roles of immigrants, social-spatial mobility, migrant policies, human rights, sense of belonging and identity and perception, and the interaction between nationals and non-nationals. The book will be of interest to researchers in the areas of demography, migration and gender studies as well as social science researchers, policy makers, human rights lawyers, civil society institutions working on migration, Gulf studies programmes and centres on South-Asian and Middle-Eastern studies.