Internal migration has greater potential for poverty reduction, meeting the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs) and contributing to economic growth in developing countries than does international
migration. This is because of four things. First, internal migration stems from a broader base where
smaller sums of money are evenly distributed to specific areas and poor families through internal
remittances (rather than international remittances, which reach fewer people). Second, it is likely
that internal migration will continue to increase at a faster rate than international migration.2
Third,
internal migration involves poorer people from poorer regions and has a strong role to play in
achieving the MDGs. Fourth, it is an important driver of growth in many sectors including
agriculture, manufacturing, construction, coastal economies and services.
The core argument of this paper is that the potential benefits of internal migration are not being
fully realised because of an inadequate understanding of migration patterns (especially temporary
and circular migration), continuing policy barriers to population movement, urban middle-class
attitudes, social exclusion on the basis of ethnicity, caste, tribe and gender and poor enforcement
of legislation meant to protect the rights of the poor.