A Call for a Unified Theoretical Approach to the Study of Migration: Network Analysis of International Migration Systems

Abstract

The field of migration studies has long suffered from a weak theoretical base upon which to ground its work. This article proposes a new theoretical approach – network analysis of international migration systems – to serve as a unifying theory for the study of migration. This new approach seeks to combine the best elements of the compatible approaches of network theory and the migration systems.. This will also allow scholars to engage in theoretically informed concept formation and variable identification, allowing for an interdisciplinary cumulation of knowledge, thereby allowing scholars to predict future migration flows and assist in making meaningful migration policy.

Keywords

International Migration, Migration Theory, Network Theory, Migration Systems, Interdisciplinary Studies Approach

Citation

Kristin VandenBelt, “A Call for a Unified Theoretical Approach to the Study of Migration: Network Analysis of International Migration Systems”, Uluslararasi Iliskiler, Vol. 17, No. 68, 2020, pp. 129-143, DOI: 10.33458/uidergisi.856875

Affiliations

Kristin VANDENBELT Dr., Lee College/Lonestar College, Department of Social Sciences, Government; Houston, Texas