Group 1

LESSON IV: GLOBAL DEMOGRAPHY

Demographic transition is a singular historical period during which mortality and Fertility rates decline from
high to low levels in a particular country or regions.
The
lar broad Outlines
historical of the which
period during transition are similar in countries around the world, but the pace and timing of the
transition have varied considerably.
mortality and Fertility rates
decline from high to low levels in
The transition started in mid- or late 1700s in Europe. During that time, death rates rand fertility began to
a particular
decline. country
High to or regions
low fertility happened 200 years in France and 100 years in the United States. In other parts of
the world, the Transition began later. It was only in the twentieth century that mortality decline in Africa and
Asia, with the exemption of Japan. According to Maddison (2001), life expectancy in India was only 24 years in
the early twentieth century while the same life expectancy occurred in China in 1929 until 1931. Fertility
decline in Asia aid not begin until the 1950s and so on. In the case of Japan, it was until the 1930s that "total
fertility rate did not drop below five births per woman" (Shigeyuki et al., 2002, p. 250). This resulted in rapid
population growth after the Second World War, affecting the age structure of Asia and the developing world.
Specifically, the baby boom in the developing world was caused by the decline of infant and child mortality
rates. The West, on the other hand, experienced baby boom that resulted from rising birth rates.

A remarkable effect of the demographic transition, as Shigeyuki et al. (2002) stated, is "the enormous gap in
life expectancy that emerged between Japan and the West on the one hand and the rest of the world on the
other" (p. 251). By 1820, the life expectancy at birth of Japan and the West was 12 years greater than that of
other countries. It increased by 20 years by 1900. Although there was an improvement in life expectancy all
throughout the world in 1900-1950, the gap had reached 22 years. In 1999, the gap declined to 14 years. These
differences in time of transition affected the global population. During the nineteenth century, Europe and the
West had an increased in share in the world's population, from 22.0 percent to 33.o percent, while Asia and
Oceania s contribution dropped from 69.0 percent to 56.7. India and China suffered from economic stagnation
and decline during that time.

There was a reverse in global population shares during the twentieth century as Africa, Asia, Latin America,
and Oceania had high levels of population -growth rates. According to Shigeyuki et al. (2002), population
growth shows a more remarkable shift: "Between 1820 and 198o, 69.3 percent of the population growth
occurred in Europe and Western offshoots. Between 1950 and 2000, however, only 11.7 percent occurred in
that region".

The United Nations projected that population growth will be shifted toward Af5rica. It is estimated that by
2150, the regions' share to the world population will be almost 20 percent, relatively much greater than its share
in 1820 (seven percent) and in 190o (six percent). Also in 2150, there will be a projected increase of two billion
if we combine the populations of Asia, Latin America, and Oceania.

In terms of the age structure, the overall trend in Japan and the West was downward until 1950. Their
dependency ratio was close to o.5. It only increased, although temporary, when the baby boom after the Second
World War occurred. Japan's dependency ratio, however, increased between 1888 and 1920. Its dependency
ratio was higher than the West between 1920 and the early 1950s. It dropped in 1970 and later since its
precipitous decline in childbearing during the 1950s and low fertility rates in recent years.

The developing countries like India and the Philippines had higher dependency ratios than the West in 1900.
A great increase in dependency ratio was caused by the decline in infant and child mortality and high levels of
fertility, with its peak around 1970. Dependency ratios started to disappear because there is a decline in global
birth rate. Furthermore, the gap in fertility between the West and the less developed countries became smaller
by the twenty-first century. Over the next 50 years, the cases of dependency ratios of these two areas in the
world will be reversed (Shigeyuki et al., 2002). The aging of populations will cause a rise in dependency ratio,
starting in the West.
 LESSON V: GLOBAL MIGRATION

The nuances of the movements of people around the world can be seen through the categories of
migrants-"vagabonds" and "tourists" (Bauman, 1998). Vagabonds are on the move "because they have to be"
(Ritzer, 2015, p. 179)-they are not faring well in their home countries and are forced to move in the hope that
their circumstances will improve. Tourists, on the other hand, are on the move because they want to be and
because they can afford it.

Refugees are vagabonds forced to flee their home countries due to safety concerns (Haddad, 2003). Asylum
seekers are refugees who seek to remain in the country to which they flee. According to Kritz (2008), those who
migrate to find work are involved in labor migration. Labor migration is driven by "push" factors (eg, lack of
employment opportunities in home countries), as well as "pull" factors (work available elsewhere). Labor
migration mainly involves the flow of less-skilled and unskilled workers, as well as illegal immigrants who live
on the margins of the host society (Landler, 2007). Unlike other global flows, labor migration still faces many
restrictions. Many of these barriers are related to the Westphalian conception of the he nation-state may and are
intimately associated with it. Shamir (2005) discussed that the state may seek to control migration because it
involves the loss of part of the workforce. An influx of migrants can lead to conflicts with local residents.
Concerns about terrorism also affect the desire of the state to restrict population flows (Moses, 2006).

Migration is traditionally governed either by "push" factors such as political persecution, economic
depression, war, and famine in the home country or by “pull factors such as a favorable immigration policy, a
labor shortage, and a similarity of language and culture in the country of destination (Ritzer, 2015). Global
factors, which facilitate easy access to information about the country of destination, also exert a significant
influence.

Many countries face issues of illegal migration. The United States faces a major influx of illegal immigrants
from Mexico and other Central American states (Thompson, 2008). A fence is being constructed on the US-
Mexico border to control this flow of people (Fletcher and Weisman, 2006). However, its efficacy is questioned
and it is thought that it will only lead illegal immigrants to adopt more dangerous methods to gain entry. In
addition, tighter borders have also had the effect of "locking in" people who might otherwise have left the
country (Fears, 2006). Other countries with similar concerns about illegal immigration include Great Britain,
Switzerland, and Greece as well as countries in Asia.

A strong case can be made on the backlash against illegal immigrants (Economist, 2008, January 3, "Keep
the Borders Open'"). In the North, such immigrants constitute a younger workforce that does work which locals
may not perform, and they are consumers who contribute to growth. They also send remittances back to family
members in the country of origin, which improves the lives of the recipients, reduces poverty rates, and
increases the level of education as well as the foreign reserves of the home country (Economist 2007,
November1) Banks are often unwilling or unable to handle the type (small amounts of money) and volume of
remittances. As a result, specialized organizations play a major role in the transmission of remittances.
According to Malkin (2007), the Philippines is one of the leaders when it comes to the flow of remittances
($14.7 billion), next to India ($24.5 billion) and China ($21.1 billion).

The term "diaspora" has been increasingly used to describe migrant communities. Of particular interest is
Paul Gilroy's (1993) conceptualization of the diaspora as a transnational process, which involves dialogue to
both imagined and real locales. Diasporization and globalization are closely interconnected and the expansion
of the latter will lead to an increase in the former (Dufoix2007) Today, there exist virtual diasporas (Laguerre,
2002) which utilize technology such as the internet to maintain the community network.