Migration Processes and Globalization during a Pandemic

Seda A. Aslakhanova

, Anzor A. Amadaev

and Larisa V. Orlova

Kadyrov Chechen State University, 364024, Grozny, Russia

Comprehensive Research Institute named after H.I. Ibragimov, Grozny, Russia

Ulyanovsk Institute of Civil Aviation named after Chief Marshal B.P. Bugaev, Ulyanovsk, Russia

Keywords: Transnational Migration, Globalization, Crisis, Pandemic.

Abstract:

One of the drivers of the modern world system is migration, which has taken on a global character. Scientists

define that political will and social institutions are subjective factors in development of society, which play a

significant role in the current crisis of globalization. The migration problem is currently considered one of the

most pressing problems of the modern world. This happens because today there are ideal conditions for

traveling to any place in the world and even moving to a permanent place of residence, be it another city or

another country. Unimpeded territorial movement is conditional, since the presence of borders between states,

different cultures, religious attitudes, economic opportunities of the population, and etc. act as barriers to

freedom of movement. In terms of the socio-demographic composition of the migration contingent, 48 % of

the total number of migrants are women, and 52 % are men. Among the entire mass of immigrants, 164 million

people are classified as labor migrants, approximately 38 million are children, and 4.4 million are foreign

students. Three quarters of the migration flow are represented by people of working age from 20 to 64 years

old. Expanding access to social security for migrant workers will address multiple global and regional

challenges. Ensuring decent work and strengthening social protection systems within regional integration

networks helps to reduce poverty and inequality and facilitate the return and reintegration of migrants, while

respecting their human right to social security and a dignified life.

1 INTRODUCTION

Discussion about migration in its various aspects is

presented in the studies of Western scholars: the study

of theoretical determinants of migration, the role of

states in creating favorable conditions for the positive

impact of migration on development, regional

characteristics and manifestations of migration

processes, issues of new labor migration (NELM),

migration as one of the forms of investment in human

capital.

By migration we mean the movement in space of

the subjects of migration (raw materials, labor

resources, technologies, cultural objects (movable),

and etc.). Man is the basis of this process. In the

broadest sense of the word, everything migrates:

population, capital, extracted natural resources,

finished products, technologies, and etc. Modern

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7975-8989

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4158-7234

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4558-556X

trends in international migration are characterized by

the strengthening of globalization as an objective and

general process. Various aspects of it are studied by

domestic and foreign scientists. The determinant of

globalization is the information revolution based on

the virtualization of many economic processes, an

increase in the availability of production factors

(Ignatova, I.V., Luzina, T.V. Elfimova, O.S., 2020).

Mass migration to Europe, and especially

continuous labor migration, is the most important

economic phenomenon that affects many statistical

indicators (Sarabev, A.V., 2020).

Migration as a process of developing new lands

began to be traced in the 16th century, when the

inhabitants of Europe began to massively develop the

territories of America, South Africa and Australia.

Now, in the 21st century, migration plays a global

role for the whole world. This process is endless and

in some cases chaotic, so each state tries to

Aslakhanova, S., Amadaev, A. and Orlova, L.

Migration Processes and Globalization during a Pandemic.

DOI: 10.5220/0011110600003439

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Scientiﬁc and Practical Conference "COVID-19: Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals" (RTCOV 2021), pages 60-65

ISBN: 978-989-758-617-0

systematize, regulate and control it. This explains the

relevance of the topic chosen. We would like to

emphasize the importance of studying

migrationology as a science for:

- regulation of the country's population;

- development of a strategy for the internal policy

of the state;

- forecasting the economic situation and the impact

of migration on the internal economic indicators of

the country;

- development of relations with other states in the

international arena.

The first scientific definition of migration was

formulated by the English scientist E. Ravenstein,

who is one of the first scientists to study migration

processes at a theoretical level in Great Britain and

North America in sufficient detail and deeply. He

considered migration as "a permanent or temporary

change of a person's place of residence" (Ahapkina,

A.S., 2020).

The phenomenon of migration is spreading to an

increasing number of people and is attracting the

attention of wide sections of the population. There are

a large number of types of migration that are actively

discussed in the media and in scientific literature

(Litvinova, A.V., 2021).

Modern studies describe migration not only as a

process of social mobility and movement of citizens

of one country to another and their adaptation to new

conditions of life. New scientific approaches are

associated with the globalization of migration

processes. Migration is described as broader mobility

that links both immigrants and immigrant receiving

countries, people, institutions and processes in these

two different national contexts (Ledeneva, V.YU.,

2020).

Modern globalization is a process of development

of a single global financial and economic space

(economic globalization) and the formation of an

information society. Global specialization contributes

to allocation of financial, military, technical,

manufacturing, agricultural, tourism, and etc. centers.

The manifestation of globalization in the territorial

aspect is expressed in the enlargement of cities

(Ignatova, I.V., Luzina, T.V. Elfimova, O.S. , 2020).

Modern approaches to the study of migration are

associated with the concepts of transnationalism,

transnational migration and transnational spaces.

These concepts are the focus of attention and

promising in understanding globalization migration

processes.

Transnational immigrants are, first of all, citizens

of the countries of their historical homeland, and

many factors are of great importance that determine

the behavior of immigrants when leaving the country.

However, transnational migrants are migrants who

are accepted by another state, there are many factors

that affect the stay of migrants in the new state.

New views on immigration make it possible to

rethink the issues of identity, belonging of migrants

to a particular group, to analyze ethnic, religious and

social changes, as well as changes in the democratic

regimes of the recipient countries (Ledeneva, V.YU.,

2020).

The key reason for migration is economic one. So

far, this is the basic approach for most migration

theories and models. The intensity of modern

migration flows is growing (Ignatova, I.V., Luzina,

T.V. Elfimova, O.S. , 2020).

2 STUDY METHODS

The paper contains the results identified in the

framework of published reports and analytical

materials of international organizations, specialized

analytical publications, data from foreign and Russian

news agencies, as well as articles by leading analysts

and experts. The methods of the study performed

contain theoretical and empirical parts, as well as

methods of description.

3 STUDY RESULTS

The process of globalization is the forward movement

of the human community towards an integral system

of world order and universality. Historical practice

shows that the processes of transition to a new state

of social relations are accompanied by crises.

Objective and subjective factors accompanying

this transition are the causes of crises and determine

the depth of crises. We are currently witnessing the

crisis of globalization. Social systems that do not fit

into objective global processes have experienced a

deep crisis in recent years. A significant role in the

emergence of the crisis belongs to public institutions,

primarily those associated with the material basis of

the world community (Kriklivaya, O.V., 2021).

The definition of globalization has also reached a

higher level, such a term as transnationalization of

relations has appeared. This process most accurately

characterizes the essence of globalization in the late

20th - early 21st centuries. Such relations between

states facilitate the process of movement, and

enhances migration flows (Litvinova, A.V., 2021).

Migration Processes and Globalization during a Pandemic

Transnational migrants, adapting in a new country

for themselves and building new social ties, can

contribute to the development of the region. 21st

century immigrants can simultaneously belong to two

communities, merging with the everyday institutions

of life and the patterns of the country to which they

migrated. They also provide links to countries of

origin, build institutions, host events, and even

influence local and national events. Transnational

migrants create transnational spaces that are able to

build invisible bridges between different parts of the

world through daily social, economic and cultural

exchanges between groups and individuals. The

global world is interconnected by the global capitalist

system. This connection allows us to talk about the

prospect of studying the economic forces that shape

not only international migration flows, but also the

reaction of migrants to the receiving countries.

Immigrants react in certain ways and build specific

coping strategies, cultural customs and identities in

the context of historically different powers and

inequalities.

Immigrants are active agents of modern

transformation at the local, national and global levels

through the links between places and activities.

Transnational migrants live in transnational localities.

Transnational migration is not only the formation

of new social relations that exist in the place where

the immigrant physically stops, but also the formation

of social relations in other locations. People can adapt

to many different situations and related social

networks and relationships.

In fact, in a global community and in an

increasingly interconnected world, a certain place of

residence and relations that develop between different

social groups cannot be regarded as separate and

limited; instead, they shall be considered

interconnected and open. Consequently, transnational

migration can be viewed as an expression of

globalization processes and as a result.

Economic globalization increases inequality

between countries, migration is considered to be an

economic necessity rather than an election, and

represents a new turning point in global human

mobility (Ledeneva, V.YU., 2020). In general, the

territorial mobility of people is growing, but this

process is multi-speed (Capenko, I., 2018). In recent

years, it has been widely believed that cross-border

population mobility is inextricably linked with other

flows shaping globalization and is one of the key

forces of social transformation in the modern world.

In this context, it is believed that successful

immigrants have changed economic and social

structures in regions of origin through foreign

exchange transfers.

The absence of youth in the countries of origin

changes the dynamics of society, which leads to

gender imbalances that are the source of this

transformation, change family structures, classical

gender roles and models become irrelevant, and in

their place there are social transfers, such as technical

knowledge, new social attitudes and altered cultural

values. In addition, international migration is

accelerating with the dynamics of globalization,

migrants travel long distances and become more

diverse in terms of their origin and destination

(Ledeneva, V.YU., 2020).

It shall be noted that the migration activity of

young people over the past 50 years has increased by

about 3 times, and the number of young migrants

worldwide has exceeded 200 million, given that the

age of these people ranges from 17 to 35 years.

The number of young migrants is increasing every

day. To this, according to I.V. Aleksandrova and I.N.

Danilov, there are several main reasons.

1. Each part of the world has its own rate of

population growth. Countries with high fertility are

losing their citizens who immigrate to countries with

low fertility in order to find work, education, and etc.

2. Differences between countries in terms of

economic indicators. The economic situation of the

country is one of the reasons for the migration of the

younger generation, because it is difficult not to

notice the more developed countries. This item

attracts young people with its perspectives and new

opportunities.

3. An interesting observation concerns the aging

process in Europe. There are forecasts that suggest

that by 2025, 47 % of the European population will

become retirees. This means that the EU states, most

likely, will not be able to provide an adequate

standard of living for pensioners. While in Africa, on

the contrary, the population is only getting younger

(Aniskina, D.A. Hashaeva, S.V., 2021).

The process of youth migration activity, if you

look at it from the outside, does not seem to be

negative and does not pose serious threats to the state,

but in reality this is absolutely not the case. It is not

difficult to analyze the consequences of migration,

identifying both positive and negative aspects.

The positive aspects include the fact that the

activities of migrants are useful to both countries. An

example of this is the financial assistance provided by

migrants to their families back home. Whereas the

country that received migrants, as a rule, benefits

from remittances and services. In addition, the fact

that returning to their native lands, immigrants bring

RTCOV 2021 - II International Scientiﬁc and Practical Conference " COVID-19: Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

(RTCOV )

with them accumulated experience and professional

skills, which is a positive factor for the country,

remains important. Plus, they can share and actively

use these skills and acquired knowledge in the

process of professional activity in their home country.

As for the negative aspects, it is worth noting the

differences in the mentality of visiting migrants.

Coming to another country, people bring with them

not only their luggage, but also their own traditions,

customs and even religion, which, in most cases, are

very different from the traditions of the country to

which they moved. Over time, all this becomes a

"stumbling block" between the indigenous people and

visiting ethnic groups. There are only two ways left –

either migrants will adopt new traditions for

themselves (which is unlikely), or misunderstanding

will grow and create conflict situations (Aniskina,

D.A. Hashaeva, S.V., 2021).

Therefore, the constant mobility of international

immigrants to their host countries creates changes in

the social, cultural as well as urban image of the host

country. Cultural institutions, places of worship,

restaurants, jobs, immigrant clothing are becoming an

integral part of the host country's cities. The places

that immigrants use to live lead to the

transnationalization of the spaces of the countries to

which they migrate. Many countries, faced with

serious multicultural problems associated with

intensive migration flows, are trying to control and

tighten the migration regime (Ledeneva, V.YU.,

2020).

4 DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

In scientific discourse, the concept of globalization is

viewed not simply as a revolutionary transformation

of the world order, but as the next stage in the

development of civilization, an evolutionary and

irreversible process. However, it is impossible to

speak unequivocally about the intensifying processes

of globalization. If we make some comparisons with

the development of the world economy 100 years ago,

we will notice that even then the movement of capital

allowed many developed countries to place their

funds abroad.

Globalization presupposes not only the erasure of

borders and the integration of the states of the world

into a single economic and socio-cultural space. The

task of globalization is to equalize the economic

conditions of existence in different countries. The

flow of capital and labor resources makes it possible

to level the most sharply differing frameworks for the

development of certain states. For example, if in some

country economic conditions do not allow a person to

develop and hope for a better future, especially if this

is associated with high prices for goods and low

earnings, but, at the same time, in another country

wages are higher, and prices for goods and services

are lower and living conditions are better, then,

according to the classics of economic theory,

migration flows will be directed to where life is

better, and flows of goods to where prices are higher

and vice versa (Ledeneva, V.YU., 2020). The

persistence of mass poverty in the countries of the

“bottom billion” is a challenge to the 21st century

(Collier, P., 2015).

According to the UN, in 2013 the number of

migrants amounted to almost 232 million people, an

increase of almost 50 % (in 2000 – 175 million

people, in 1990 – 154 million people). For the period

from 2000 to 2010, the greatest increase was

observed, on average, it was 4.6 million people

annually. Also, according to the UN, the leader in the

ranking of the countries most open to international

migrants is the United States. Moreover, for the

period from 1900 to 2019, the intensity of US

international migration has doubled. The RF dropped

from second place in 1900 to 4 in 2019, while the

indicator of the intensity of the migration flow

remained practically unchanged (11.5 million people

and 11.6 million people, respectively) (Ignatova, I.V.,

Luzina, T.V. Elfimova, O.S. , 2020).

With the pandemic in 2020, even with a

slowdown and complete restriction of migration

processes, the quality and timeliness of the applied

mechanisms of state regulation in the field of

migration are of particular importance. So, since

2020, previously topical problems of adaptation and

integration into society have faded into the

background, if not to the third place, first of all,

attention was paid to the safety of movement, the

timely detection of patients with a new coronavirus

infection, and the problems of illegal migration. One

of the main features and tendency of regulating

migration processes in the context of globalization

was the consideration of the integration of migrants

arriving for permanent residence, not as the main goal

of the current policy; interest in the integration of

markets between countries dominated. As follows

from practice, the majority of migrants come from

countries with a lower standard of living, some of

them suffer from socially significant and dangerous

diseases for society (Kriklivaya, O.V., 2021).

The average population of the 100 largest cities in

the world today is almost 10 times higher than in

1900, and almost 2/3 of these cities are in developing

countries. In the future, such megalopolises can

Migration Processes and Globalization during a Pandemic

become new centers specializing in a certain type of

activity. Megacities, according to N.A. Sluka, attract

large migration flows and act as the main testing

ground for population reproduction. Therefore, the

role of public administration is reduced to the search

for balance, the development of appropriate measures

to manage the processes of movement. According to

V.A. Silantyeva, on the one hand, ensuring the socio-

economic development of the state and maintaining

stability in society is associated with the effectiveness

of regulation of migration processes and state

migration policy. On the other hand, the regulation of

migration processes can be viewed from the point of

view of a stabilizing factor in the safe state of the

state, society, and economy (Ignatova, I.V., Luzina,

T.V. Elfimova, O.S. , 2020).

5 CONCLUSION

The anticipated increase in the volume, diversity,

geographic coverage and complexity of international

migration is associated with the development of

transport and communication technologies and, more

generally, with the processes of globalization.

Modern migration flows are carried out mainly along

the South-North trajectory, when from the southern

poorest countries the able-bodied population en

masse leaves for the developed and rich countries of

the North. Globalization creates conflicting values

that go beyond national boundaries. Transnational

migration has a profound impact on nations that can

no longer be called the basic communities of the

international system. Therefore, the concept of

migration in the context of transnational migration

flows needs to be rethought (Ledeneva, V.YU.,

2020).

In addition to the traditional movement of factors

of production to the largest centers of the world, there

are large-scale movements of labor resources within

and between developing countries, as well as

migration from southern territories to northern ones.

The intensity of migration flows is growing, and

virtual types of migration are developing.

The state as the apogee of the development of

settled life is the primary reason for limiting the

movement of subjects of migration in space.

In the scientific community, there are two

opposite points of view regarding the influence of the

state on international migration processes. One of

them negates the role of the state in managing global

processes. The other assumes that the state, being a

member of international organizations, can have a

serious impact on the solution of supranational issues.

In our opinion, in the future, the role of states from

the standpoint of globalism can be transformed, and

they will represent economic systems that provide

transnational companies with resources. At present,

states remain quite influential actors in the world

arena, called upon to defend national interests.

State migration policy is aimed at managing the

movement of subjects of migration. Until now, the

predominant direction remains the tightening of

border and visa regimes, restricting access to asylum

procedures, cutting social benefits for migrants,

restricting access to work, and etc. Modern state

management of migration consists of legal,

economic, organizational, social and political norms

that contribute to the development of migration flows

(Ignatova, I.V., Luzina, T.V. Elfimova, O.S. , 2020).

Consequently, even the attraction of migrants

shall be regulated taking into account the

characteristics of the labor market and the

demographic situation in a particular region. In the

modern world, the consequences of migration affect

the security and sovereignty of many states.

The coronavirus has dramatically changed the

way people live in 2020. It not only influenced how

people move, work, study, but also how they live and

what they consider important and valuable. A new

period has come for the world, each state decides in

what mode it should exist, in accordance with its

ideas about the value of life, economy and security.

In such circumstances, countries are divided on how

to deal with migration.

In the area of migration and borders, fundamental

changes are envisaged. So, Giulietto Chiesa predicts

the collapse of the European Union and potentially

the Schengen area, as a result of the measures that the

EU countries are taking in the context of the fight

against coronavirus. He believes that the measures

taken are not at all temporary - “... their duration

remains uncertain, and this experience will leave its

mark, changing for the worse all future relations

between states. With the abolition of freedom of

movement, the freedom of circulation of services also

goes away” (Prytkova, A.O., 2020). Therefore, we

can say that it is quite possible that the measures taken

today already dictate what kind of world we will live

in tomorrow – and it is very possible that when people

come out of self-isolation, they will no longer

recognize the world that will surround them.

Thus, migration issues in the modern world play

one of the most important roles and stand alongside

political, economic and informational ones, which

was not observed fifty or a hundred years ago.

Moreover, the process of population migration is

gaining momentum every year and acquires a

RTCOV 2021 - II International Scientiﬁc and Practical Conference " COVID-19: Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

(RTCOV )

globalizing character, and the effect can be seen live,

since changes in migration data affect both

international politics and the politics of each state.

This is due to the shortness of time in the historical

period and the rather dynamic development of the

world in the information technology, political,

international legal, economic spheres. Therefore,

problems related to population migration are

increasingly being brought up on the agenda, and the

leaders of states offer their solutions to the new

problem that has arisen.

REFERENCES

Aniskina, D.A., Hashaeva, S.V., 2021. Migracionnaya

aktivnost' molodezhi v sovremennom mire. FGAOU

VO «Belgorodskij gosudarstvennyj nacional'nyj

issledovatel'skij universitet». Pedagogika, psihologiya,

obshchestvo: novaya real'nost' sbornik materialov

Vserossijskoj nauchno-prakticheskoj konferencii s

mezhdunarodnym uchastiem. Pages 11-13.

Ahapkina, A.S., 2020. Mirovye migracionnye processy:

itogi pervogo dvadcatiletiya XXI veka. Materialy

mezhdunarodnoj nauchno-prakticheskoj konferencii.

pages 169-185.

Ignatova, I.V., Luzina, T.V. Elfimova, O.S., 2020.

Upravlenie mezhdunarodnoj migraciej v sovremennyh

usloviyah. Obshchestvo: sociologiya, psihologiya,

pedagogika Uchreditel, 12 (80). pages 69-76.

Collier, P., 2015. Iskhod: kak migratsiya menyaet nash mir.

Journal of Economic Sociology, vol. 16, no 2. pages

12– 23.

Kriklivaya, O.V., 2021. Migracionnyj krizis: osobennosti v

period pandemii. Rossijskaya akademiya narodnogo

hozyajstva i gosudarstvennoj sluzhby pri Prezidente

RF. Megatrendy mirovoj politiki. Sbornik nauchnyh

statej po materialam 8-oj mezhvuzovskoj nauchno-

prakticheskoj konferencii molodyh uchenyh.

Ledeneva, V.Yu., 2020. Transnacional'nye migracii v

global'nom mire. Globalistika-2020: Global'nye

problemy i budushchee chelovechestva. pages 645-650.

Litvinova, A.V., 2021. Fenomen intellektual'noj migracii v

sovremennom mire. Panorama, 39. pages 95-98.

Prytkova, A.O., 2020. Koronavirus: sravnenie mirovogo

opyta v sfere ogranicheniya migracii. Razvitie

politicheskih institutov i processov: zarubezhnyj i

otechestvennyj opyt. Sbornik nauchnyh statej XI

Vserossijskoj nauchno-prakticheskoj konferencii s

mezhdunarodnym uchastiem. pages 640-645.

Sarab'ev, A.V., 2020. Pul-faktory trudovoj migracii iz

arabskogo mira v strany Evropy. Vostochnaya

analitika, 3. pages 202-213.

Capenko, I., 2018. Transformacii global'noj migracii

naseleniya. Mirovaya ekonomika i mezhdunarodnye

otnosheniya, 62, 8. pages 65-76.

Migration Processes and Globalization during a Pandemic