This paper explores the potential impacts of the rights of migrant workers (“migrant rights”) on
the human development of actual and potential migrants, their families, and other people in
migrants’ countries of origin. A key feature of the paper is its consideration of how migrant
rights affect both the capability to move and work in higher income countries (i.e. the access of
workers in low-income countries to labour markets of higher-income countries) and capabilities
while living and working abroad. The paper suggests that there may be a trade-off between the
number and some of the rights of low-skilled migrants admitted to high-income countries and
explores the implications for human development