Push and Pull factors as drivers of migration

#migration #push #pull #geography Full text: In the previous video migration was explained. But why do people migrate? One of the most well-known explanations for migration is the model of push and pull factors explained in this video. In the push and pull factors model, both the origin and destination region have positive and negative characteristics. We indicate the positive characteristics with plus signs and are called pull factors; because they are positive you are, as it were, pulled to certain regions. Examples of pull factors are, for example, a well-paid job, living in a democracy and freedom. On the other hand, there are push factors that we show as minus. These are negative characteristics of a region that push you away, as it were; these are reasons to leave an area. War, poverty and famine are examples of push factors. The push and pull factors are added up and regions with many pluses seem attractive as migration destinations. If there are a lot of push factors, then there are a lot of minuses and the area is unattractive. Now suppose you live in an area that is unattractive, for example because of poverty or war. In that case, another area may be attractive, because it is safe or because work can be found there. In that case, migration takes place if there are no intervening obstacles. Obstacles are barriers between the origin and the destination country. This can be natural obstacles, such as a mountain range, desert or a sea, or, for example, human made obstacles such as strict border controls and building walls on the border. We can divide the push and pull factors into 4 perspectives: The first perspective are economic factors. They have to do with money. Economic pull factors can be, for example, wealth or high incomes, while economic push factors can be poverty and high taxes. The second perspective are political factors. They are about safety and the organization of politics. Political pull factors are, for example, a free and safe democracy. Political push factors are, for example, war, corruption or discrimination on the basis of religion, origin or sexual orientation. For refugees, the political push factors are the most important factors to flee their country of origin. The third perspective are social factors. Social pull factors are the presence of family and friends, while social push factors can be tensions between certain groups. The fourth and last perspective are environmental factors. A clean or beautiful environment, without natural disasters can be pull factors. Drought and flooding are push factors. Climate change is also one of the push factors in this group if the effect of climate change on an area is negative, for example because there are more droughts or because of the danger of sea level rise. However, research shows that there is no link between climate change and migration yet. In the following video, criticism of the push and pull factors model is discussed and other theories that explain migration are explained.