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Development-related contextual effects and individual attributes in third world migration processes: A Venezuelan example

1987; Springer Science+Business Media; Volume: 24; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/2061388

1533-7790

Lawrence A. Brown, Andrew R. Goetz,

Migration and Labor Dynamics

Out-migration in Venezuela was examined as a function of personal attributes and place or contextual characteristics related to thus combining the individual and mass perspectives. This is part of a broader effort to elaborate upon development paradigm of based on the observation that economic growth involves structural changes in society which in turn affect the role of specific migration factors. Development indices were derived by principal components analysis of 21 variables pertaining to distritos a small political unit. STRUCTURE 1 component represents a traditional-contemporary continuum in economic and social structure; PRESSURE a 2nd component represents the degree to which distrito population is dependent rather than economically active and its level of population pressure. Personal characteristics in addition to migrant status include the age educational level and gender of 65994 individuals in 1971. These variables were used in logistic regressions for the entire sample for persons from distritos with large and intermediate-sized urban places and for those from distritos with small urban places and rural areas. Educational attainment was the most important variable for distritos with no urban center in excess of 20000 and second in importance for distritos with urban centers of greater than 20000. Its role was consistent across subsamples as was that of age. Gender was among the most important determinants of out-migration in rural and less urban distritos but a minor factor elsewhere. This is because females gravitate to and tend not to leave major urban centers where employment opportunities are more numerous and gender-biased attitudes less prevalent. In general traditional-contemporary aspects of socioeconomic structure and educational attainment emerged as most important. Age was consistent in its role but gender varied according to whether a distrito is more rural or urban. Dependency-population pressure was significant in all settings but less important overall.