Geography | Globalisation and migration

🌍 Globalisation and Migration: Your IGCSE Study Guide ✈️

Hey Geographers! Welcome to Topic 8, where we explore how our world is becoming incredibly interconnected. This chapter is all about Globalisation—the "world shrinking" effect—and the massive movement of people, known as Migration. Understanding this topic is vital because these processes shape the jobs we do, the food we eat, and the cultures we live alongside. Let's dive in!

Key Idea 8.1: Globalisation is Creating a More Connected World

A. What is Globalisation?

Globalisation is the process by which the world's economies, cultures, and populations are becoming increasingly interconnected through cross-border trade in goods and services, technology, and flows of investment, people, and information.

Think of it like this: your smartphone was designed in America (information), manufactured using parts from Asia (trade/production chains), and marketed by a company owned by international shareholders (foreign investment). That's globalisation in action!

B. Factors Encouraging the Global Economy (The Drivers)

The global economy has risen rapidly due to several key factors that make international interaction easy and cheap:

• Trade: Lower tariffs (taxes on imports) mean goods can move cheaper.
• Foreign Investment (FDI): Money flowing from one country to another to set up businesses, like a German car company opening a factory in China.
• Aid: Financial or technical help given from one country to another.
• Labour: People moving internationally for work.
• Modern Transport: Containerisation (standardised shipping boxes) and jet aircraft have drastically cut shipping costs and time.
• Information Technologies (IT): The internet, mobile phones, and satellite communication allow instant global communication, making it easier for businesses to manage distant operations.

C. The Role of Global Players

Certain powerful groups push globalisation forward:

1. Transnational Corporations (TNCs)

TNCs are huge companies that operate in several countries (e.g., McDonald's, Apple, Coca-Cola).

• Role: They are the main engines of production and trade, creating commodity chains (the path a product takes from raw material to final sale) that span the globe. They look for the cheapest labour and materials worldwide, connecting countries economically.

2. Global Institutions

• World Trade Organization (WTO): A global organisation dealing with the rules of trade between nations. It aims to reduce trade barriers (like tariffs) and ensure trade flows smoothly.
• International Monetary Fund (IMF): An organisation of 190 countries that promotes global financial stability. It provides short-term loans to countries facing economic trouble, often requiring them to adopt policies that favour free markets (which can open them up to globalisation).

Did you know? The WTO has been crucial in making things you buy cheaper by forcing countries to reduce the taxes they put on imported goods.

D. Migration: Push and Pull Factors

Globalisation increases people movement (migration and tourism). Migration rates over the last 50 years have been influenced by push factors (reasons to leave a place) and pull factors (reasons to move to a place).

• Economic Migration:
  Push: Unemployment, low wages.
  Pull: Higher wages, better job opportunities (e.g., moving from Mexico to the USA for work).
• Medical Migration:
  Push: Poor healthcare, lack of specialists.
  Pull: Access to advanced treatment or specialised hospitals (e.g., medical tourism to countries known for specific procedures).
• Sport Migration:
  Push: Lack of training facilities or professional leagues.
  Pull: Opportunity to join international leagues and earn high salaries (e.g., African footballers moving to Europe).
• Tourism (not permanent migration, but movement):
  Pull: Attractive scenery, historic sites, warm climate (a major global movement flow).

Quick Review 8.1: The World Connector

Globalisation is driven by cheap transport, fast technology, and powerful organizations (TNCs, WTO, IMF) that make global movement of goods and people much easier.

Key Idea 8.2: The Impacts of Globalisation and Migration

Globalisation has huge impacts—both positive (benefits) and negative (costs)—on different groups of people and places.

A. Impacts on Countries Hosting TNCs

When a TNC builds a factory in a developing country (the host country), there are trade-offs:

• Benefits for the Host Country:
  • Employment: Creates thousands of jobs (though often low-skilled).
  • Economic Growth: TNCs pay taxes and bring foreign currency into the country.
  • Infrastructure: TNCs may fund new roads, ports, or power links to support their factories.
  • Technology: Introduces new skills and modern production methods.
• Costs for the Host Country:
  • Exploitation: Workers may face long hours and low pay in poor conditions (sweatshops).
  • Environmental Damage: Lack of strict environmental laws can lead to pollution.
  • Profit Leakage: Most of the profits return to the TNC's home country, not benefiting the host economy in the long term.
  • Economic Dependence: If the TNC decides to leave, the local area can suffer mass unemployment.

B. Impacts of Migration on Different Groups of People

Migration can be voluntary (choosing to move) or forced (e.g., refugees). It can be international (across borders) or national (within a country, often rural-urban).

Impacts on the Source (Origin) Country:

• Positive: Migrants send remittances (money) back home, supporting families and the national economy. Less pressure on services like schools and healthcare due to fewer people.
• Negative (The Brain Drain): Loss of skilled, educated, and young workers (doctors, engineers, teachers), severely slowing development.

Impacts on the Destination (Host) Country:

• Positive: Fills labour shortages (especially in low-wage sectors or highly skilled areas). Migrants contribute to the economy through taxes and consumption. Enhances cultural diversity.
• Negative: Increased pressure on public services (schools, housing, healthcare). Potential for social tension and resentment from local populations (especially if wages are driven down).

C. Impacts of Global Tourism (Mass Tourism)

Globalisation makes travel affordable and accessible, leading to the growth of mass tourism (large numbers of people visiting one area).

1. Positive Impacts of Global Tourism:

• Economy: Huge source of foreign income. Creates jobs (hotels, guides, transport).
• People: Jobs often provide a route out of poverty for local residents. Money can be used to improve local infrastructure (airports, roads).

2. Negative Impacts of Global Tourism:

• Environment: Increased pollution (air travel, waste). Destruction of natural habitats to build resorts (e.g., coastal development damaging coral reefs). High water and energy use.
• Economy: Jobs are often seasonal and low-paid. Much of the money leaves the country (leakage) as resorts are often foreign-owned.
• People/Culture: Can lead to cultural dilution, where local traditions are commercialised or lost to cater to tourist demands. Increased crime and inflation (rising prices) in tourist areas.

Quick Review 8.2: The Trade-Off

TNCs bring jobs but can cause exploitation. Migration provides remittances but can cause a brain drain. Mass tourism brings money but often damages the environment and local culture.

Key Idea 8.3: Managing Migration and Tourism Sustainably

To cope with the challenges globalisation creates, countries and organisations must find sustainable management strategies.

A. Geopolitical Relationships in Management

Geopolitics involves how geography and politics interact globally. Countries manage trade, migration, and tourism through international relationships:

• Trade Management: International trade agreements (like those in the European Union or NAFTA) dictate tariffs and quotas, regulating the flow of goods.
• Migration Management: Countries cooperate on border security and refugee quotas (e.g., UN agreements). Tensions arise when countries disagree on border control (e.g., USA/Mexico border).
• Tourism Management: International bodies (like the UN World Tourism Organisation) promote ethical and sustainable tourism standards across borders.

B. Approaches to Managing Long-Term Migration (Named Country Example)

Managing long-term migration involves policies to control inflows, select specific skills, and aid integration.

Approaches often include:

1. Border Control and Visa Policies

Governments use laws to control who enters and stays long-term. Many Developed Countries (HICs) use a points-based system to prioritise migrants with skills that the economy needs (e.g., doctors, IT specialists), while limiting those without specific qualifications.

2. Integration Policies

Once migrants arrive, management focuses on helping them integrate:

• Language classes and job training.
• Anti-discrimination laws to prevent social tensions.
• Promoting mutual understanding between migrant and host communities.

3. Managing Illegal Migration

This involves increasing border security and making it difficult for employers to hire undocumented workers.

C. Making Tourism More Sustainable

Sustainable tourism aims to benefit the environment, the local economy, and the people, ensuring resources are preserved for the future. The strategies depend on the country's development level.

1. Actions by Individuals and Organisations (NGOs)

• Individuals: Choose to use local businesses (hotels, guides) rather than large foreign chains. Reduce personal waste.
• Organisations: NGOs promote Ecotourism (responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people). They may certify sustainable tour operators.

2. Government Approaches (Developed vs. Developing)

• Developed Countries (HICs): Often focus on protecting historic sites and controlling visitor numbers in fragile areas. For example, promoting public transport use to reduce vehicle emissions in major cities.
• Developing/Emerging Countries (LICs/EECs): Focus on maximising local economic benefits and environmental conservation. For example, using revenue from national parks (entrance fees) to fund conservation and support local community projects (Kenya often uses this approach for wildlife tourism).
• Regulation: Governments impose strict planning laws to limit the size and location of new tourist resorts to protect coastal environments.

Quick Review 8.3: Planning for the Future

Sustainable management requires global cooperation (geopolitics) and local action. Migration is controlled via points systems and integration help. Tourism is managed through ecotourism, local employment, and strict regulations to protect vulnerable environments.