The Age of Migration Ch. 2 and Dublin Regulation Key Points

1. The first, and still present, theory on migration was economic. It relied on economic modeling that considered each migrant to be acting individually and rationally, by weighing the costs and benefits of migrating. It also relied on simplifications of how migration works and a "push-pull" model that really oversimplified the processes of migration. Empirical studies have supported the argument that this neo-classical economic perspective is too simple, such as the fact of the growing economic disparities between first- and third-world countries. 
2. Historically, we see that labor migration occurred due to the legacy of colonialism, conflict, and regional inequalities (especially in Europe), and it was one of the main ways that "links of domination" were established between first- and third-world countries. 
3. Family ties are so important to the process of migration; we see that there are many people who would not have migrated (or been able to do so as easily) without the support of their family. Very rarely do we see people migrating individually for the long-term. 
4. Transnationalism is not new; what is new is the raid proliferation of transnational communities under the conditions of globalization. 
5. There is a very big difference between the causes, characteristics, and effects of economically-motivated migration versus forced migration. This is an extremely important distinction to make. 

I have one question about a claim that the migration systems theory makes on page 26; that migration occurs between countries that already have prior links. I wonder if, in the case of the U.S., there are many people who come to the U.S. from countries that do not have very direct links between them and the U.S. For example, what about Irish immigrants that increasingly came to America after the 1840's due to the potato famine? Were there clear links established between the US and Ireland already, or was this attempt to make a new life in America due to desperation and a belief in the American dream?