Aksaray Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi

Öz

The approaches that study national and international immigration movements were concentrated on the effects of immigration on national economies. Studies on immigration–development relationship date back to 1950’s in economical literature. In the unlimited labor supply development model by Lewis (1954), the development process starts with the transfer of labor from rural areas to modern sectors. Neo-classical immigration theory represents the optimist point of view by highlighting the positive effects of immigration, while dependency and structuralism represent the pessimist point of view by concentrating on the negative effects of immigration. It could be stated that the optimism towards the immigration prevailed pre-oil shock period, while the pessimist views dominated the post oil shock era (1973–1990) in this axis.It was noted that the optimism for immigration resurfaced during 1990’s and especially in 2000’s and became the target of criticism. The main objective of this study is to evaluate views of opinions on the international immigration–development based on pioneering theoretical approaches and current discussions on the subject matter. Furthermore, the study aims to draw attention to new and unpopular topics of research in the field. Literature review demonstrates that subjects such as immigrant worker funds, diaspora, brain-drain or brain circulation, information and technology transfer, cyclical immigration were stressed in immigration–development relationship and the focus was on the flow of immigration from developing countries to the developed countries. However, this study stressed on the need for a broader point of view to consider the effects of immigration on development by scrutinizing the relationship between human development and immigration. Thus, it was emphasized in the study that the immigration-development relationship should be considered with all its related dimensions and immigration could not be the sole driving force for the national development, however it could provide certain positive effects on development and human development. This study aims to contribute to the literature by re-establishing immigration development relationship to include new approaches and by revealing the latest developments.