Migration and forests in the Peruvian Amazon: a review

This paper reviews the literature on the links between migration and forests in the Peruvian Amazon. It highlights not only the complexity of the migrant–forest interface in Peru but also the relative lack of research on these dynamics. Historically, official narratives point to migrants as both the culprits of, and solutions to, the Amazon’s problems. At times, the government has promoted colonization of the Amazon as a means to integrate the region into the country as well as to encourage agricultural expansion and alleviate pressure on limited land in the Andes. In other periods, migrants are blamed for deforestation and environmental degradation in the region. These discourses oversimplify the complexity of the reality facing migrants to the Amazon and the factors that ‘push’ them away from their birthplaces and/or ‘pull’ them to the Amazon. They also treat migrants as a homogenous group, underestimating: the role of migration within the Amazon, the cyclical nature of migration, processes of urbanization and multi-site households, and the diversity of livelihoods migrants pursue upon arrival. A more detailed understanding of migrants, migration and the related conditions and processes driving human mobility in the Amazon should provide a more effective foundation for defining public policy in the region, for example, for the identification of strategies to mitigate the impacts of road construction or to support sustainable models of production in areas occupied by smallholder farm families. This review is intended as a step toward a fuller understanding of these processes by compiling existing information as a point of departure

A primer of international migration: The Latin American experience and a proposal for a research agenda

Although the phenomenon of international migration has been around for a while, in the last decades there has been a world-wide resurgence of it, which is larger in scale, wider is scope and is frequently accompanied by large flows of monetary remittances. These tendencies have revived the debate in the academic and policy spheres over their potential social and economic consequences. In this paper we develop a ‘Primer’ that presents the ‘state of the art’ in the study of international migration and make special emphasis on how the Latin American experience fits in it. We first present an overview of migration patterns in the region and highlight the importance of the United States as the prime destination for Latin American migrants. We then develop the core of the paper which reviews the different theories that have been proposed in the academic literature for explaining both the determinants of migration and its potential impacts, particularly from the perspective of the source country. In the process, we accentuate the central role played by international remittances. Finally, based on the current knowledge frontier in the subject, we propose a research agenda in order to fill some of the current shortages in the analysis of migration in the region.Migration; Remittances; Latin America

Crisis Bureaucracy: Homeland Security and the Political Design of Legal Mandates

Policymakers fight over bureaucratic structure because it helps shape the legal interpretations and regulatory decisions of agencies through which modern governments operate. In this article, we update positive political theories of bureaucratic structure to encompass two new issues with important implications for lawyers and political scientists: the significance of legislative responses to a crisis, and the uncertainty surrounding major bureaucratic reorganizations. The resulting perspective affords a better understanding of how agencies interpret their legal mandates and deploy their administrative discretion. We apply the theory to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. Two principal questions surrounding this creation are: (1) why the President changed from opposing the creation of a new department to supporting it and (2) why his plan for such a department was far beyond the scope of any other existing proposal. We argue that the President changed his mind in part because he did not want to be on the losing side of a major legislative battle. But more significantly, the President supported the massive new department in part to further domestic policy priorities unrelated to homeland security. By moving a large set of agencies within the department and instilling them with new homeland security responsibilities without additional budgets, the president forced these agencies to move resources out of their legacy mandates. Perversely, these goals appear to have been accomplished at the expense of homeland security. Finally, we briefly discuss more general implications of our perspective: first, previous reorganizations (such as FDR's creation of a Federal Security Agency and Carter's creation of an Energy Department) also seem to reflect presidential efforts to enhance their control of administrative functions, including some not directly related to the stated purpose of the reorganization; and, second, our analysis raises questions about some of the most often-asserted justifications for judicial deference to agency legal interpretations.

Stay in the U.S. or Return Home: A Qualitative Examination of the Decisionmaking Process of Nigerian Doctoral Students and Recipients

Like many developing countries, Nigeria has suffered from an extensive “brain drain” as its most able young people, especially those at the graduate or doctoral levels, seek educational and career opportunities in the mature Western economies. While other developing nations, especially China, have taken concrete action to stem and even reverse their brain drain, Nigeria has been slow to act. This study sought to illuminate the situation of Nigerian doctoral students in the Diaspora in order to chronicle how they wrestle with decisions about returning to the homeland as a means of formulating effective strategies for repatriation or, at least, constructive engagement with the Diaspora’s human resources. Many Nigerian doctoral students are faced with the following questions: Where do I go for graduate education? What do I study that will set me up for success? Where do I go after graduation, and what do I do? What attracts skilled manpower to the U.S. and affects their decision to stay or leave the host country to start their careers upon graduation? This research examines the determinants of sixteen Nigerian doctoral students and recipients’ non-return and return intentions following the completion of their doctoral study in the U.S. Non-return is a type of brain drain. This study explored the experiences of Nigerian-born nonimmigrant doctoral students and recipients in U.S. universities and how they decide on their school, location, and field of study. It included a review of previous research on factors that influence Nigerian students who came to the U.S. for higher education and the processes, content, and outcome of their decision to either remain in the U.S. or return to the homeland after completing their studies. It also examined the challenges and opportunities that informed their decisions. A summary of trends in stay rates, human capital theory, migration, and the application of the brain drain concept is provided. The study concludes by highlighting the factors that elucidate the reasons Nigerian nonimmigrants or temporary residents migrate to the U.S. and decide to either remain there or return to their homelands after graduation

The Impact of Undocumented Immigration on Unfunded Mandates and Government Effectiveness

The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of undocumented immigration on the United States, specifically the economic implications they may carry and the government effectiveness in managing this population. Utilizing the method of qualitative content analysis, this study examined the various aspects of the U.S. economy affected by this population and the nation\u27s past and current immigration policies. The research found the undocumented population to be an expense on the host economy through their use of social and public services, with expenses even higher in the Southwest Border States. It is important to note, however, that there are benefits to providing these services. In addition amnesty-type policies were shown to be ineffective at managing the population due to various deficiencies. The nation\u27s past experience with the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) is a strong example

Stay in the U.S. or Return Home: A Qualitative Examination of the Decisionmaking Process of Nigerian Doctoral Students and Recipients

Like many developing countries, Nigeria has suffered from an extensive “brain drain” as its most able young people, especially those at the graduate or doctoral levels, seek educational and career opportunities in the mature Western economies. While other developing nations, especially China, have taken concrete action to stem and even reverse their brain drain, Nigeria has been slow to act. This study sought to illuminate the situation of Nigerian doctoral students in the Diaspora in order to chronicle how they wrestle with decisions about returning to the homeland as a means of formulating effective strategies for repatriation or, at least, constructive engagement with the Diaspora’s human resources. Many Nigerian doctoral students are faced with the following questions: Where do I go for graduate education? What do I study that will set me up for success? Where do I go after graduation, and what do I do? What attracts skilled manpower to the U.S. and affects their decision to stay or leave the host country to start their careers upon graduation? This research examines the determinants of sixteen Nigerian doctoral students and recipients’ non-return and return intentions following the completion of their doctoral study in the U.S. Non-return is a type of brain drain. This study explored the experiences of Nigerian-born nonimmigrant doctoral students and recipients in U.S. universities and how they decide on their school, location, and field of study. It included a review of previous research on factors that influence Nigerian students who came to the U.S. for higher education and the processes, content, and outcome of their decision to either remain in the U.S. or return to the homeland after completing their studies. It also examined the challenges and opportunities that informed their decisions. A summary of trends in stay rates, human capital theory, migration, and the application of the brain drain concept is provided. The study concludes by highlighting the factors that elucidate the reasons Nigerian nonimmigrants or temporary residents migrate to the U.S. and decide to either remain there or return to their homelands after graduation

OGMA Workshop: Exploring the Policy & Strategy Implications of Web 2.0 on the Practice of Homeland Security

Includes: Executive Summary, Report content and APPENDIX A: OGMA AGENDA; APPENDIX B: ATTENDEE LIST; APPENDIX C: DISCIPLINE SUMMARIES: APPENDIX D: OGMA TWITTER TRANSCRIPTOn June 30 and July 1, 2009 in Monterey, CA, the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS), Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Emergency Communications (OEC), and Office for Interoperability and Compatibility (OIC) co- sponsored the Ogma Workshop: Exploring the Policy and Strategy Implications of Web 2.0 On the Practice of Homeland Security. The purpose of this meeting was to address the urgent need for homeland security and public safety organizations to research and discuss the use of Web 2.0 tools.Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Center for Homeland Defense and Security (CHDS)Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Emergency Communications (OEC)Office for Interoperability and Compatibilit