Editorial introduction (IMIGRA)
International economic migration unfolds within a context of profound inequalities between countries. This text offers an interpretation of migration dynamics through global disparities in wealth, highlighting the tensions between economic logic, public policies, and individual aspirations. Rather than merely describing migration flows, it seeks to examine the structural conditions that make them both possible and, in many cases, inevitable.
Introduction
International economic migration takes place in a context marked by deep inequalities between countries. These disparities strongly shape individual trajectories and constitute a key factor in migration decisions. Understanding the relationship between migration and global inequality helps shed light on contemporary dynamics of human mobility.
Beyond individual motivations, migration should be understood as a structural phenomenon. It reflects persistent economic imbalances between regions of the world, as well as transformations in global capitalism that redefine access to resources, employment, and mobility.
Global inequalities and determinants of migration
Significant inequalities between countries are one of the main drivers of economic migration. Individuals from less advantaged countries seek to improve their living conditions by moving to wealthier ones, where economic opportunities are greater.
As Milanović (2015) demonstrates, the structure of global inequality has profoundly changed. In the early nineteenth century, most inequalities were due to differences within societies. Today, they are largely determined by the country of birth. This transformation gives nationality a decisive role in shaping life chances, which the author describes as a “citizenship premium” or “citizenship penalty.”
Migration thus appears as a rational strategy for overcoming the constraints associated with one’s place of birth. It becomes a way of accessing a different income distribution, rather than merely a geographical relocation.
Migration choices and state policies
In deciding to migrate, individuals do not respond only to absolute income differences but also to their relative position within the income distribution of the destination country. This relative dimension complicates the analysis of migration and helps explain the persistence of certain migration flows.
From the perspective of states, these dynamics raise significant challenges. Developed countries attempt to balance economic openness with control over migration flows. Some implement skill-based selection policies (such as Canada or Australia), while others prioritize attracting foreign investors through residence schemes tied to economic investment.
These policies reveal tensions between economic logic and national sovereignty, as well as the limits of a purely utilitarian approach to migration.
Contradictions in a globalized world
InteInternational migration highlights several fundamental contradictions of the global system (Milanović, 2019):
- the recognized right to leave one’s country without a corresponding right to enter another;
- the free circulation of capital, goods, and ideas, contrasted with restrictions on the mobility of labor;
- the partial application of liberal economic principles, constrained by national borders;
- the tension between national development objectives and the global improvement of living conditions.
These contradictions illustrate the asymmetrical nature of globalization, in which mobility is not equally accessible to all.
Ethical and normative debates
Beyond economic considerations, migration raises important normative questions. Tan (2006) argues that restrictive migration policies can only be morally justified if accompanied by significant efforts toward global redistribution.
From a Rawlsian perspective (Rawls, 1999), migration challenges us to rethink principles of justice at the international level. It raises questions about states’ obligations toward non-citizens and the limits of national solidarity in an interdependent world.
Conclusion
International economic migration appears both as a direct response to global inequalities and as a reflection of the structural tensions of the international system. It highlights contradictions between economic openness and political closure, as well as between the mobility of capital and the immobility of people.
In this context, migration policies cannot be understood independently of broader global inequality dynamics. A strictly national approach proves insufficient to grasp the full scope of the phenomenon.
Finally, migration raises major ethical issues that go beyond public policy. It calls for a reconsideration of the foundations of global justice and the forms of solidarity in a deeply unequal world.
References (selection)
- Milanović, B. (2015). Global Inequality
- Milanović, B. (2019). Capitalism, Alone
- Rawls, J. (1999). The Law of Peoples
- Tan, K.-C. (2006). Justice Without Borders
How to cite this article :
IMIGRA (2026). International economic migration and global inequalities – imigra.fr