Economic causes and consequences of migrations within the context of under-development in West Africa

Abstract

African Studies Center Working Paper No. 6INTRODUCTION: In recent discussions of development and inequality in Africa, at least three positions can be identified concerning relationships between rural-urban migration and inequality. The most simplistic and journalistic view is that migrants come to the cities only to find unemployment and miserable living conditions. The story, as usually depicted, identifies the problem as misguided persistence in migrating explanations based on the inappropriateness of educational curricula, lures of brights lights, and misinformation. Despite little evidence to support this view, many African politicians have identified persistent migration as the cause of urban poverty and have attempted to stop the flow of migrants through exhortation, administrative controls, and coercion. Actions seem to have been based on the notion that the problems of urban poverty will disappear if only the poor... [TRUNCATED