Discourse Analysis: Economic Framing of the Migration-Development Nexus against Developmental Practice in Low-Income States
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63410/jds2025/02საკვანძო სიტყვები:
Migration, Development, Remittances, Neoliberalism, Global Inequality, International Financial Institutions, Migration-Development Nexusანოტაცია
Migration has increasingly been framed as a driver of development in low-income countries, particularly through its economic contributions such as remittances. Although this perspective has gained prominence in international policy discourse, it often oversimplifies the complex relationship between migration and development and overlooks important social and political dimensions.
This article provides a qualitative discourse analysis of how international organizations, especially the IMF and World Bank, portrayed migration between 1990 and 2010. The study examines the dominant economic framing of migration, identifies the neoliberal assumptions embedded in global migration governance, and contrasts these narratives with empirical evidence from India, Mexico, and Cape Verde.
The findings show that remittance-led development produces household-level benefits but rarely results in long-term structural transformation and can deepen social inequalities and vulnerabilities. The article contributes to ongoing debates by demonstrating how economic framings obscure the broader consequences of migration and reinforce power asymmetries between the Global North and South.
The study concludes that effective migration governance must move beyond narrow economic indicators and incorporate social protection, labour rights, and investments in local development capacities.
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