Internal Migration in Mexico

Unit 3: Migration

12/16/16

Original article can be found here

Synopsis:

          Many people think that Mexicans only migrate to the US. However, this is just based on what they see on the news and is not really true. Many Mexicans choose to migrate internally rather than internationally to the US. Emigration has actually been declining from Mexico yet the media has only been focusing on the statistics of those coming into the US rather than the increase of the ones who are not. Mexicans do not always find the hassle of moving to the US worth the trouble anymore but they feel like they don’t have any other option. However, recently they have been choosing to migrate internally to more prosperous areas of Mexico. Additionally, since 2009 more than 1 million native-born Mexicans living in the US returned to Mexico. This shows that conditions in Mexico are not the same as the used to be in the 1980’s and 1990’s and that people are now choosing to stay. These changes aren’t really due to more border control but rather due to changing conditions in Mexico and growing opportunities.

Analysis:

          Mexican emigration to the US has begun to decrease in recent years. Instead of internationally migrating more and more people are choosing to look for work and opportunity in other parts of the country. It is much easier to stay in the same country with the same culture and traditions rather than moving to somewhere completely different. Therefore, the consensus is that if people can prevent having to cross the border they would. In the region of Oaxaca in Mexico, internal migration has always existed. A lot of people in that area have found work as itinerant vendors traveling throughout the country and working on coastal plantations during the harvest season. Increasingly, more people have tried to find work within Mexico rather than resorting to migrating to the US. People have started inventing new jobs and it has worked out pretty well. Mexico City has also been on the receiving end of a lot of emigration from the rest of the country. Although it is true that moving to the US would earn people higher wages, migrating within Mexico has been a good alternative and has been improving the country’s economy. People are also okay with lower wages as long as they get to keep their traditions. In my opinion if this immigration is encouraged more it could potentially solve everyone’s problems. It will continue to decrease immigration to the US, which has been very controversial, and will help Mexico as well. The issue of Mexican emigration has been all over the news and has caused a lot of controversy. President-Elect Trump’s whole campaign was based on building a wall between Mexico and the US, however it is important to look into other solutions first before resorting to that. Mexican immigration to the US has already been decreasing (since 2009 1 million Mexicans have left) and in order to keep it that way internal migration should be further encouraged. Right now six million Mexicans are moving within the nation’s borders. Many of these emigrants don’t want to move to a different country anyway, they just want a better life. As we talked about in the class, the biggest pull factor for emigrants is economic. People just want to find a job to support their families and most likely don’t want to change their culture. Therefore, finding opportunities within the country is the right way to go about the issue.

Understanding Unauthorized Immigration

Unit 3: Migration

12/9/16

Original article can be found here 

Synopsis:

          Unauthorized immigration has grown throughout the years. People are migrating more and more throughout the world without legal documentation. This keeps occurring even with the preventive methods of walls, fences, barriers, guards, and patrol ships so it is important to know why. The dynamics of most unauthorized immigrants is the same even though they come from different countries. Most people dismiss the notion of understanding unauthorized immigrants but it is essential in order to try to find a solution that benefits everyone. Being narrow-minded about these immigrants won’t result in anything. Hundreds of thousands of lives are lost in failed attempts at migration so it is an important issue that people need to understand. The global pattern shows that people move from developing countries to developed countries because their home countries can no longer provide for them. This root problem needs to be solved or else the problem of unauthorized immigration is going to continue on.

Analysis:

          Most people are concerned with stopping unauthorized immigration but they don’t take the time to stop and understand it first. Excluding refugees who are more than 21 million people, there are another 50 million unauthorized migrants. The countries with the largest numbers are the US with 11 million, India with another 10 million, and the Russian Federation at 4 million. On the news a lot, especially in the US, unauthorized immigration is a focus of a lot of political parties. For example, President-Elect Donald Trump’s campaign revolved around building a wall between Mexico and the US to block out these unauthorized immigrants. Everyone talks about it but no one seems to want to resolve the problem by understanding it first. A common way people become unauthorized immigrants is by overstaying their visa. Additionally, based on a recent international survey the number of people who express a desire to immigrate to another country is estimated to be around 1.3 billion. This number shows that people all over the world are not happy with where they live and everyone as a whole should work to solve this. The people wishing to migrate don’t have a legal way to move so they resort to doing so illegally. In class we talked about reasons why people might want to migrate called push and pull factors. Unauthorized immigrants are pushed by high unemployment, low wages, difficult living conditions, separated families, poor governance, human rights abuses, and limited prospects and they are pulled by the opposites. Essentially it is a combination of political, environmental, and economic factors that contribute to their decision. The economic success of the countries they wish to migrate to gives them hope. This corresponds with Ravenstein’s law that “long-distance migrants to other countries head for major centers of economic activity”. They feel like even with the risks of unauthorized immigration it would still be better than their current situation. This shows that even with countries doing so well with a good standard of life, other countries struggle to provide food, shelter, and a good life for their population. It is important to try to help these countries instead of just banning and trying to prevent unauthorized immigration because these methods do not seem to be working. As long as there are unlivable conditions in some countries, people will try to do anything so that they can get a better life. They will risk their lives and travel far to these lands in order to live a better life. The governments of the successful or stage 4 countries need to fix the root cause of unauthorized immigration first rather than simply “building a wall”. Unauthorized immigrants will always find a way unless their home situations are better which is what everyone should work towards. 

Britain’s Focus on Net Migration

Unit 3: Migration

12/2/16

Original article can be found here

Synopsis:

            Britain is currently actively working to reduce their net-migration. This movement has increased ever since David Cameron pledged to reduce it back in 2010 and has received more attention than ever before. Migration is an issue showing up in all of Britain’s politics and media. The goal for the government was to decrease the net migration to be below 100,000 however now it is more than three times as much as that at 327,000 people. Britain however, is the only country in Europe with an official maximum net migration target, and seems to be the most concerned with it. Net migration has been even higher than statistics predicted which is frustrating for the government. However, it still has a lower people to migrant ratio compared to the other European countries. Other countries have recognized how essential immigrants are to their country and economy. Nonetheless, Britain continues to work hard to try to decrease these rates and regards immigration as a huge problem.

Analysis:

          Britain has put a lot of focus on dealing with their migration problem. Their net migration is much more than what they want it to be. Their numbers don’t differ too much from the rest of Europe and are in fact a bit lower but to them it is a bigger issue. Britain has a 6.1 per 1000 people migrant ratio which isn’t that high compared to other countries. For example, in Germany it is 14.1, in Sweden 8.1, and in Luxembourg 19.6. These countries haven’t made controlling migration as much of a priority as Britain has even though their problem is seemingly bigger. They have recognized that immigration is essential for a successful economy and country as we have learned in class. However, in Britain strong public pressure has made the government implement new immigration policies. Currently the international immigrants are coming from four main groups. First, it is from British citizens moving out and into the country. The next group is the people from the European Economic Area (EFA) that they legally can’t limit. The third category is students and skilled professionals on work visas. The majority of migrants are in this category and are helpful to the country. The students provide financial contributions to Britain and the skilled professionals fill vital gaps in the labor market so it wouldn’t make sense to limit them. The fourth category is asylum seekers. These people are only a fraction of the migrants and have come as refugees because of bad conditions in their own countries. They have increased due to the recent issues in the Middle East as well as other places as we learned in class. This type of migration is sometimes voluntary and sometimes forced. However, they are legally protected by the International Human Rights norms so Britain can’t do too much about it. Therefore, Britain has to find some other way to decrease migration because doing so in these four categories wouldn’t make sense. Some say that the Brexit can help lower the rates though however that is falsely so. The push and pull factors that influence migratory flow are beyond legislative control and policies. There isn’t much a government can do about migration without hurting its economy because migrant workers are at the core of any successful country. For Britain however net migration might actually decrease after the Brexit but only because it will no longer be desirable to foreign and domestic workers and could actually end up hurting the country. Overall, Britain is very focused on reducing net-migration rates but I think there are better ways and things to work on to make the country more successful. 

The Emigration Problem in Lithuania

Unit 3: Migration

11/18/16

Original article link can be found here

Synopsis:

           The country of Lithuania is the opposite of the rest of the world on its issue of emigration and immigration. Right now, it is most concerned with its rising emigration rates rather than immigration ones. Most of what you see on the news is countries worried about how many people they have coming into their country and their fear of terrorism, however, that is not the case with Lithuania. Its population has been steadily declining since 2000 and the government is now focusing on turning that around. A declining population as such has a huge effect on the economy and how the country functions as a whole. The country is projected to shrink by another 40% between now and 2080 if nothing is done about the problem. Lithuania needs to find a way to promote staying in the country and a way to get people to want to move there. Overall, this is a unique problem that not a lot of countries have.

Analysis:

          Lithuania is a country in Europe that currently has a problem with emigration. Too many people are leaving the country and its population is declining rapidly with each year. The growing concern right now is that the population is starting to consist of more of the elderly and not enough young people of working age to support the population. They are starting to have a higher dependency ratio which puts pressure on the people who do work.  A recent survey showed that people in Lithuania have less of an authoritarian populist view than other countries like Germany, UK, and France. As a result, there was a recent surprise in Lithuania’s parliamentary election. The Lithuanian Peasant and Greens Union party, which is founded by farmers, unexpectedly won the most seats in the parliament against all the other more popular parties. They took 54 out of the 141 seats which is more than the other parties. Prior to this election, this party only had one seat. Therefore, jumping from one seat to 54 shows that there is a lot of change happening in the country. This party campaigned on the fact that they can help stop emigration and keep people in. Since 2000, the country has been shrinking at a rapid rate and holds the title for the fastest decline in population in the EU. One reason for the mass emigration is Lithuania’s low wages. Also, most people move to other places in Europe due to the easiness of travel in the EU. Lithuania joined it in 2004 and since then its population has dropped by 500,000 because of the ability to travel freely within the countries in the union. All of the country itself is just three million people so half a million is a significant number. Right now Lithuania has a negative net-migration because more people are leaving than coming in. It is really struggling to support its shrinking and aging population and its prospects are even less compelling for young people because it seemingly has no opportunities. Currently, the country is projected to shrink by another 40% from now until 2080. Overall, this is very alarming for Lithuania and maybe with their new elected officials in the parliament they will be able to help solve the emigration problem.

Health in Africa

Unit 2: Population and Health

11/4/16

Original article can be found here

Synopsis:

          Currently, life in Africa is not the same as it used to be. Health has especially changed in the past hundred+ years. The diseases that used to do the most damage are not doing so now. This is because Sub-Saharan Africa is actually undergoing an epidemiological transition. So as the continent development increases, the most dangerous diseases become the non-communicable diseases rather than the communicable ones. Therefore, there are now more chronic diseases than those being passed down from one person to the next. In 1980 it used to be that tuberculosis and measles were some of the leading killer diseases but now it is mostly malaria and pneumonia. Sub-Saharan Africa has also underwent an improvement in life expectancy and lowered their Infant Mortality Rate as one would as they go through the demographic transition model. Preventable diseases are starting to occur less often because the continent is progressing.

Analysis:

           Africa has underwent a lot of changes in the past hundred+ years. Many factors of life, including disease and health has been changed. Right now, the problem has moved from communicable diseases to non-communicable ones such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. These diseases are causing a lot of deaths because they cannot be controlled, however, there has been an improvement in the preventable ones. As a result, the life expectancy has risen from 52 years old to 62 in just the last 15 years which is incredible. This was largely because of the decrease in deaths caused by diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS, and vaccine preventable ones like measles, and pneumonia. There are variations of that number throughout the different regions of Africa. These characteristics are that of a Stage 3 in the epidemiologic transition. Additionally, life expectancy was previously drastically affected by the Ethiopian drought and famine in the 1980’s as well as the Rwandan genocide in 1994 and the HIV epidemic. So Africa is now slowly but steadily recovering from these catastrophes. Another improvement has been the lowering of the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in Africa. It was reduced by over half in some regions from the previous 850,000 children in 1990. This improvement has been steady in the last 15 years. This information from the study is instrumental because it shows Sub-Saharan Africa the areas that they need to work on in order to make life better. Health has changed and availability of treatment needs to be a reflection of that. Overall, Africa is going through an epidemiological transition and climbing up the development scale. Consequently, there has been progress in the health of Africa but it needs to go even further in order to catch up with the rest of the world.

North Korea's School-Age Population

Unit 2: Population and Health

10/28/16

Link to article can be found here

Synopsis:

          Recently, there has been a study done about North Korea’s population. What has been found is that the school age population is set to drastically drop by 2040. The projections show that the kids enrolled in kindergarten all the way up to high school will drop to low numbers. This could be because of the way the country is governed. It could be predicted that they are leaving the country by these numbers because they are trying to find a better life. The difference in population from its counterpart, South Korea, is vast. These changes in population will affect the countries dependency ratio and will have much less people of the working age when the time comes. These rates may seem harmless but they have a lot of unforeseen consequences.

Analysis:

          The new study done by South Korean shows the projected decline of school age children in North Korea which is very alarming for the country. In the next 24 years, until 2040, the school age population will drop from the current 4.14 million to 4.05 million. This is a 90,000 drop which is huge. It will unbalance everything in the country. It will affect the sex ratio because when people start leaving these rates are no longer precise. It is easier for males to leave so it could leave the country with a larger female to male ratio. The study also says that it is possible that this decline may even take place before 2040. As if now though, the study predicts that from 2016 to 2040 the elementary school population of the current 2 million is expected to drop to 1.95 million. The middle school population is also predicted to go from 1.07 to 1.04 million. Lastly, the high school population of 1.14 is thought to drop to 1.06 in 2040. These numbers are smaller than North Korea’s Counterpart, South Korea. In South Korea the school age population is 5.9 million and North Korea currently has 4.14 million. The lowering of that number even further will impact everything in the country. These numbers could be as a result of parents sending their children out of the country to get a better education or a better life. Since, the parents aren’t the ones leaving as we can see from the rates, we can assume that the children may be being sent by themselves. This will affect the dependency ratio because when the school age generation grows up they won’t be enough to supply for the dependents. Their numbers will be too little to support the elderly and the youth. Currently, looking at a population pyramid for North Korea in 2016 I can see that the youth are a little low but still normal compared to the working class. When these numbers drop even lower is when they are going to have a problem. This South Korean study recommends that North Korea create teacher training courses and others that would expand educator understanding of students who might want to leave. The study also suggests a division of responsibility between Seoul’s unification and education ministries so that not all the decisions are up to one group. Overall, these projections are very alarming and something should be done so that the country could fix the problem. 

Study: China’s Population Problems

Unit 2: Population

10/21/16

Original article can be found here

Synopsis:

          Recently, China’s one child policy has been changed to two children in order to increase and even out the population growth. However, there is a new study that shows it will only bring on a very small increase. The study recommended that China should increase their retirement age as well because there will be an expected labor shortage and there won’t be enough people to fill these jobs. In addition, the one child rule has caused problems with the sex ratio of boys to girls. Female fetuses were shown to be selectively aborted in preference of male offspring. This is projected to lead to China having 30 million more men than women by the end of the decade. Even with the two child rule it is not enough to fix the problems that have been created nor is it enough to prevent further ones.

Analysis:

          China has recently been having some problems with its population. At first when they were fearing too much population growth they created the one child rule. Families with this rule were limited to having only one child. Although this rule is credited with preventing 400 million extra births, some experts argue that the total fertility rate (TFR) would have fallen naturally as China’s education levels grew and their economy developed. Putting this limit had a lot of unforeseen consequences when China could have just let it happen naturally. This policy also caused an uneven balance between men and women in the population. The sex ratio shows that there are a lot more males than females. Boys seem to be preferred because they are able to work and provide for the family so there was a significantly larger amount of abortions with female fetuses. This policy also compelled a lot of women to have forced abortions or give up their second child for adoption which caused emotional scarring for everyone involved and overall caused a decrease in the happiness of the population. These problems still persist and in order to solve the population issue just the two child policy will not be enough. With it the population is projected to stay relatively the same at 1.45 billion in 2029. Additionally, I looked at the population pyramid for China and along with the male side being bigger, I noticed that the dependents will become the workers and they will not be enough to provide for the elderly. The dependency ratio will be way off. In addition, another reason why the two-child policy might not work is because most people have gotten used to only having one child and won’t want to change their ways so there is no guarantee that the population will grow. Instead, what is recommended is that the retirement age gets raised from the low age of 50-55 for women and 60 for men. China is going to need more people to fill jobs so people need to work longer. Overall, China is having a lot problems with their population and just adding the two-child policy is not going to fix them. 

What is the Real Size of Africa?

Unit 1: Basic Concepts

10/7/16

Mercator Projection

Original Article can be accessed here

Synopsis:

          The typical world map ingrained in everyone’s head is in actuality not geographically correct. This may be surprising to many people because this is the map projection that we see everywhere as kids and that is still being used today. This is called the Mercator and it doesn’t just have the normal distortion that you get when putting the world on a flat map, it has Africa shown much smaller than it actually is. This hasn’t happened to the other continents as much as it was done to Africa. The Mercator map made by Geert de Kremer (Mercator) was created in 1569 which was a long time ago when there was more European superiority. Other countries such as Canada, Russia, and the US or greatly enlarged while the continent of Africa is left being much smaller. The repercussions of having a map like this be used in the US are still felt today. There are many results of it that end up hurting Africa in the long run.

Analysis:

          The portrayal of Africa as smaller in size than it really is has a lot of effects. Firstly, it is a fact that bigger continents look more powerful and intimidating than smaller ones. The nations shown as being bigger look more imposing and stronger than the smaller ones. Therefore, when Africa is shown as being small it is then perceived as being insignificant. It is known that there is no perfect map because the earth is a sphere and not flat, however this much distortion to Africa is not necessary. The explanation is that when Mercator was making the map his mind was on navigation and elegance and didn’t put much importance on the fact that he was making Africa smaller. He also made a mistake and then stretched out the northern and southern edges of the globe to fix it and make it look presentable. Africa will continue to be unfairly treated if the use of the Mercator is continued. About a month ago, the International Cartographic Association President (ICA) has resurfaced the debate about this map and have admitted that it is a major misrepresentation of the earth. Many people have mentioned other map projections such as the Winkle Triple and the Gall-Peters that could be used in place of the Mercator. People are starting to be more conscious and aware of the problem but up until now nothing has been done yet. This CNN article has brought the issue into the limelight which could lead to the maps discontinuation. It is known that how a country or continent is perceived has a direct effect on whether it strives or fails. Economic aspects as well as social ones are all affected. Cartography is a very sensitive topic and overall, the leading map we use shouldn’t be so unfair to some parts of the world and so generous to others. Hopefully since there is talk about it, it will change in the near future.

The Spread of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

Unit 1: Basic Concepts

9/30/16

Original article can be found here.

Synopsis:

Recently, there has been an outbreak of coxsackievirus, or as it is most commonly known; hand-foot and mouth disease. The first outbreak was in late August and it happened to fifteen football players that go to Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, New Jersey. Then, just thirteen days later there was a similar outbreak in Pequannock High School which is just sixteen miles away. This week there has been more sudden outbreaks at two other New Jersey high schools near each other. These high schools are Kinnelon High and Hunterdon. There isn’t much space between the different locations. There is seemingly no pattern except that the schools are close together. They are more clustered rather than dispersed. The symptoms of HFMD include sores inside the mouth and skin rashes on a person’s hands and feet. It could lead to fevers and body aches. This outbreak would be what is called contagious diffusion. This rapid widespread of the Hand, foot, and Mouth disease is very alarming.

Analysis:

          This outbreak of the Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease is very scary. It could essentially keep spreading throughout New Jersey and even into nearby states. The virus could be spread through contact, or the air from someone coughing or sneezing who’s infected. However, this outbreak is really strange because this virus never used to spread as rapidly as it is now. It is now spreading through locker rooms and schools which in the past it hasn’t done. This leads me to believe that something must have happened to cause this contagious diffusion. Something in these places must be causing this virus to spread faster than it usually does. Human Environmental Interaction could be studied because it looks like the environment is encouraging its spread. This virus used to be most commonly diagnosed in younger children rather than high school students. Younger students are messier and are unaware of what they come in contact with which might be the reason why this virus used to be diagnosed among them. However, now it is diffusing through high school students and medical experts need to find out why. It is the first time an outbreak of this magnitude has ever occurred which is why it is puzzling many professionals. One thing that could actually help is behavioral geography. Studying the actions of the individuals infected might provide some insight into the cause of the spread. The concentration of the outbreaks are clustered together so it must be something new that has happened in that area. Another option is that a new strain of the same virus has developed that is more severe. This might be the reason why it is so new, unheard of, and puzzling many scientists. Medical professionals would have to figure out how and where it originated from if that is the case.