Human Development Report 2009. Overcoming Barriers: Human Mobility and Development
This report breaks new ground in applying a human development approach to the study of migration. It looks at the multiple impacts of migration for all who are affected by it-not just those who move, but also those who stay. In particular, the report puts an emphasis on wellbeing of children directly or indirectly affected by migration.
By examining policies with a view to expanding people's freedoms rather than controlling or restricting human movement, this report proposes a bold set of reforms. It argues that, when tailored to country-specific contexts, these changes can amplify human mobility's already substantial contributions to human development. The principal reforms proposed centre around six areas, each of which has important and complementary contributions to make to human development: opening up existing entry channels so that more workers can emigrate; ensuring basic rights for migrants; lowering the transaction costs of migration; finding solutions that benefit both destination communities and the migrants they receive; making it easier for people to move within their own countries; and mainstreaming migration into national development strategies.
The report argues that while many of these reforms are more feasible than at first thought, they nonetheless require political courage. There may also be limits to governments' ability to make swift policy changes while the recession persists.