The Internal Migration Dilemmas Facing the State: Cases from Three Continents

Internal migration in developing countries has far greater magnitude than international migration, and poses both great opportunities and great challenges. Cases from Africa, Asia, and Latin America reveal the dilemmas that governments face in addressing migrations that are triggered by economic opportunities, climate change disruptions, political motives, and conflict. The session will focus on the dilemmas that governments face, and some of the strategies to confront them. Adopting the strategies depends on whether government officials choose to embrace or evade accountability in managing these migrations. William Ascher is the Donald C. McKenna Professor at Claremont McKenna College. He previously was the founding director of the Duke Center for International Development. He studies economic development and public policy in developing countries, natural resource and environmental policy, strategic planning and decision making, political psychology, and international policymaking processes. Most of his applied research focuses on Latin America, Southeast Asia, and South Asia.