Migration and Social Development: Organizational and Political Dimensions

Collective pressure exerted by migrants1 on governments in both origin and destination countries to address a variety of migration- and work-related issues and concerns has been mounting in recent years, as evidenced by recent studies on this topic, as well as concrete action taken by a variety of civil society organizations (CSOs).2 Because public policies tend to give low priority to targeting migrant populations (Grugel and Piper 2007), the important role for migrant associations, trade unions and other relevant CSOs in providing crucial services and political advocacy for migrants has been recognized by academics3 and policy makers alike (ILO 2004a; GCIM 2005). The different types of organizations involved in migrant issues have their historical and institutional strengths and weaknesses. In recent years, new strategies are being developed in the form of intra-organizational policy shifts or reform processes, and inter-organizational alliances within and across borders. The question is to what extent these processes manage to integrate the changing landscape of economic migration into political activism aimed at social justice pre- and post-migration — that is, whether these processes relate to broader social development concerns in the attempt to address the causes and consequences of international migration.