MIGNEX Handbook Chapter

2: Key concepts and definitions in the migration–development nexus

MIGNEX Handbook Chapter 2 Cover Page

Many common concepts – including forced migration, root causes, migration decision, and transit migration – carry assumptions that run counter to the analytical ambitions of MIGNEX. Navigating the terminology calls for balancing critical thinking and pragmatism.

By Jørgen Carling – Published on 12 March 2019
Key takeaways
MIGNEX is expected to help address the ‘root causes’ of migration. However, the concept itself is troubled by a narrow conception of migration as a symptom of problems.
The emphasis on disaggregation in the MIGNEX methodology is reflected in a terminology that lets us pick processes and phenomena apart.
When our audiences use terminology that differs from ours, we should engage with their usage and explain why we take a different approach.

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Carling, J. (2019) Key concepts in the migration–development nexus, MIGNEX Handbook Chapter 2 (v2). Oslo: Peace Research Institute Oslo. Available at www.mignex.org/d021.