Economics of migration

The aim of this class is to present and discuss a wide range of topics related to international labour mobility. Migration - or mobility in the broader sense - is one of the most important features of the modern world. All regions are experiencing more or less intensive migration flows in their various forms - ranging from settlement and labour migration, through transit migration, to forced migration involving refugees and asylum seekers. At the same time, migrants have become a structural component of the labour markets of most developed countries and a subject of interest for researchers representing a variety of research disciplines, such as economics, sociology, and political science. We have seen the importance of migration vividly in the recent refugee/migration crises, but issues of mobility are increasingly discussed in the context of fundamental processes of a long-term nature (e.g. migration and demographic ageing, migration and socio-economic development).
The course will focus on the economic dimension and approaches to international migration, particularly on the modelling of migration phenomena. The focus will be on labour migration, but students will be encouraged to attempt to use methods of economic analysis to interpret other forms and types of migration/mobility.

At the end of the course, participants should:
- know how migration and mobility processes are defined, how they are conceptualised and what measurement methods are used;
- have knowledge of the most important historical and contemporary migration processes;
- be able to identify and identify the specific characteristics of the most important migration systems;
- be able to interpret migratory behaviour using tools of economic analysis and selected theoretical concepts / conceptual schemes;
- be able to explain both drivers and consequences of international migration;
- be able to link migration with other socio-economic processes.