IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/urbstu/v41y2004i11p2245-2272.html

Migration and Urbanisation in Francophone West Africa: An Overview of the Recent Empirical Evidence

Author

Listed:
  • Cris Beauchemin

    (Département de démographie, Universite de Montreal, C.P. 6128, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada, cris.beauchemin@umontreal.ca)

  • Philippe Bocquier

    (IRD (Institut de recherche pour le développement/French Institute for Research on Development), DIAI/CIPRE, 4 rue d'Enghien, 75010 Paris, France, bocquier@dial.prd.fr)

Abstract

How does migration contribute to the urbanisation process in Africa? Migrants have traditionally been viewed as responsible for excessive urban growth, for the uncontrolled expansion of urban areas and for urban surplus labour. In light of recent research, this article proposes to re-examine these views in Francophone west Africa. The first part of the article presents the context of urbanisation in this region, the theoretical framework and the recent surveys on which most of the analyses are based. Next, adopting a demographic perspective, the paper shows that migration in fact contributes moderately to urban growth and that new trends in urban to rural migration flows are emerging. The focus then shifts to examine how migrants influence the shape of cities. The final section of this article re-examines the role of migrants in the urban economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Cris Beauchemin & Philippe Bocquier, 2004. "Migration and Urbanisation in Francophone West Africa: An Overview of the Recent Empirical Evidence," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 41(11), pages 2245-2272, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:41:y:2004:i:11:p:2245-2272
    DOI: 10.1080/0042098042000268447
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1080/0042098042000268447
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/0042098042000268447?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Banerjee, Biswajit & Bucci, Gabriella A, 1995. "On-the-Job Search in a Developing Country: An Analysis Based on Indian Data on Migrants," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 43(3), pages 565-583, April.
    2. repec:dau:papers:123456789/4744 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Ledent, Jacques, 1982. "Rural-Urban Migration, Urbanization, and Economic Development," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 30(3), pages 507-538, April.
    4. Bigsten, Arne, 1996. "The Circular Migration of Smallholders in Kenya," Journal of African Economies, Centre for the Study of African Economies, vol. 5(1), pages 1-20, March.
    5. Gugler, Josef, 1991. "Life in a dual system revisited: Urban-rural ties in Enugu, Nigeria, 1961-87," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 19(5), pages 399-409, May.
    6. Kannappan, Subbiah, 1988. "Urban Labor Markets and Development," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 3(2), pages 189-206, July.
    7. Davis, James C. & Henderson, J. Vernon, 2003. "Evidence on the political economy of the urbanization process," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 98-125, January.
    8. Deborah Potts, 2000. "Urban Unemployment and Migrants in Africa: Evidence from Harare 1985–1994," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 31(4), pages 879-910, September.
    9. Cohen, Barney, 2004. "Urban Growth in Developing Countries: A Review of Current Trends and a Caution Regarding Existing Forecasts," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 23-51, January.
    10. Catherine Faussey-Domalain & Patrice Vimard, 1991. "Agriculture de rente et démographie dans le Sud-Est ivoirien. Une économie villageoise assistée en milieu forestier péri-urbain," Revue Tiers Monde, Programme National Persée, vol. 32(125), pages 93-114.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Isabelle Chort & Philippe De Vreyer & Thomas Zuber, 2017. "Gendered internal migration patterns in Senegal," Working Papers DT/2017/02, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    2. Luc Christiaensen & Nancy Lozano Gracia, 2021. "Migrants, Markets, and Mayors," World Bank Publications - Reports 36755, The World Bank Group.
    3. Isabelle Chort & Philippe De Vreyer & Thomas Zuber, 2017. "Gendered internal migration patterns in Senegal," Working Papers DT/2017/02, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    4. repec:gig:afjour:v:45:y:2010:i:3:p:115-129 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Philippe Bocquier & Ashira Menashe-Oren & Wanli Nie, 2023. "Migration’s contribution to the urban transition: Direct census estimates from Africa and Asia," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 48(24), pages 681-732.
    6. Kazianga, Harounan & Wahhaj, Zaki, 2020. "Will urban migrants formally insure their rural relatives? Family networks and rainfall index insurance in Burkina Faso," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    7. Ashira Menashe-Oren & David A. Sánchez-Páez, 2023. "Male Fertility and Internal Migration in Rural and Urban Sub-Saharan Africa," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 39(1), pages 1-40, December.
    8. Girsberger, Esther Mirjam & Méango, Romuald & Rapoport, Hillel, 2020. "Regional migration and wage inequality in the West African economic and monetary union," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(2), pages 385-404.
    9. Ronald O. Muchelo & Thomas F. A. Bishop & Sabastine U. Ugbaje & Stephen I. C. Akpa, 2024. "Patterns of Urban Sprawl and Agricultural Land Loss in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Cases of the Ugandan Cities of Kampala and Mbarara," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-23, July.
    10. Owen Crankshaw & Jacqueline Borel-Saladin, 2019. "Causes of urbanisation and counter-urbanisation in Zambia: Natural population increase or migration?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 56(10), pages 2005-2020, August.
    11. Elisabeth Hyo-Chung Chung & Charlotte Guénard, 2012. "Mobilités, vulnérabilité et capital social: une analyse en milieu rural sénégalais," Working Papers DT/2012/16, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    12. Kusanthan Thankian, 2016. "Does Gender Matter in Migration: An Analysis of the Characteristics of Internal Migration in to Lusaka Province, Zambia," Journal of Social Economics, Research Academy of Social Sciences, vol. 3(1), pages 29-35.
    13. Bolay, Matthieu, 2014. "When miners become “foreigners”: Competing categorizations within gold mining spaces in Guinea," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 117-127.
    14. Holly E. Reed & Catherine S. Andrzejewski & Michael J. White, 2010. "Men’s and women’s migration in coastal Ghana," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 22(25), pages 771-812.
    15. Lynda Pickbourn, 2018. "Rethinking Rural–Urban Migration and Women’s Empowerment in the Era of the SDGs: Lessons from Ghana," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-18, April.
    16. Camlin, Carol S. & Kwena, Zachary A. & Dworkin, Shari L. & Cohen, Craig R. & Bukusi, Elizabeth A., 2014. "“She mixes her business”: HIV transmission and acquisition risks among female migrants in western Kenya," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 146-156.
    17. Carren Ginsburg & Philippe Bocquier & Donatien Beguy & Sulaimon Afolabi & Orvalho Augusto & Karim Derra & Frank Odhiambo & Mark Otiende & Abdramane B. Soura & Pascal Zabre & Michael J. White & Mark Co, 2016. "Human capital on the move: Education as a determinant of internal migration in selected INDEPTH surveillance populations in Africa," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 34(30), pages 845-884.
    18. Bach Nguyen, 2022. "Internal migration and earnings: Do migrant entrepreneurs and migrant employees differ?," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 101(4), pages 901-944, August.
    19. Shelley Clark & Cassandra Cotton, 2013. "Transitions to adulthood in urban Kenya," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 28(37), pages 1053-1092.
    20. Luc Christiaensen & Keenan,Michael, 2025. "How Do Migrants Fare in Africa’s Urban Labor Markets ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11052, The World Bank.
    21. Sharma, Susan Sunila, 2011. "Determinants of carbon dioxide emissions: Empirical evidence from 69 countries," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(1), pages 376-382, January.
    22. Catalina Herrera Almanza & David Sahn, 2020. "Childhood determinants of internal youth migration in Senegal," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 43(45), pages 1335-1366.
    23. Menashe-Oren, A. & Stecklov, G., 2017. "IFAD RESEARCH SERIES 17 - Population age structure and sex composition in sub-Saharan Africa: a rural-urban perspective," IFAD Research Series 280055, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
    24. Ashira Menashe-Oren, 2020. "Migrant-based youth bulges and social conflict in urban sub-Saharan Africa," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 42(3), pages 57-98.
    25. Marchiori, Luca & Maystadt, Jean-François & Schumacher, Ingmar, 2012. "The impact of weather anomalies on migration in sub-Saharan Africa," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 63(3), pages 355-374.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Philippe Bocquier, 2004. "World Urbanization Prospects : an alternative to the UN model of projection compatible with urban transition theory," Working Papers DT/2004/08, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    2. Tie-Ying Liu & Chi-Wei Su & Xu-Zhao Jiang, 2016. "Is China’S Urbanization Convergent?," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 61(05), pages 1-18, December.
    3. Philippe Bocquier, 2005. "World Urbanization Prospects," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 12(9), pages 197-236.
    4. David E. Bloom & David Canning & Günther Fink & Tarun Khanna & Patrick Salyer, 2007. "Urban Settlement: Data, Measures, and Trends," PGDA Working Papers 2907, Program on the Global Demography of Aging.
    5. repec:dau:papers:123456789/4463 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. David E. Bloom & David Canning & Günther Fink & Tarun Khanna & Patrick Salyer, 2007. "Urban Settlement: Data, Measures, and Trends," PGDA Working Papers 2907, Program on the Global Demography of Aging.
    7. Potts, Deborah, 2012. "Challenging the Myths of Urban Dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Evidence from Nigeria," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(7), pages 1382-1393.
    8. María Ayuda & Fernando Collantes & Vicente Pinilla, 2010. "From locational fundamentals to increasing returns: the spatial concentration of population in Spain, 1787–2000," Journal of Geographical Systems, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 25-50, March.
    9. Pierre‐Richard Agénor, 2004. "Macroeconomic Adjustment and the Poor: Analytical Issues and Cross‐Country Evidence," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(3), pages 351-408, July.
    10. Canavire-Bacarreza, Gustavo & Martínez-Vázquez, Jorge & Vulovic, Violeta, 2013. "Taxation and Economic Growth in Latin America," IDB Publications (Working Papers) 4583, Inter-American Development Bank.
    11. BERTINELLI, Luisito & STROBL, Eric, 2003. "Urbanization, urban concentration and economic growth in developing countries," LIDAM Discussion Papers CORE 2003076, Université catholique de Louvain, Center for Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE).
    12. Nan Zhang & Melissa M. Lee, 2020. "Literacy and State–Society Interactions in Nineteenth‐Century France," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 64(4), pages 1001-1016, October.
    13. Wouterse, Fleur Stephanie, 2010. "Internal migration and rural service provision in northern Ghana," IFPRI discussion papers 952, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    14. Donatella, Baiardi & Claudio, Morana, 2015. "Financial deepening and income distribution inequality in the euro area," Working Papers 316, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised 04 Dec 2015.
    15. Wang, Bo & Li, Fan & Feng, Shuyi & Shen, Tong, 2020. "Transfer of development rights, farmland preservation, and economic growth: a case study of Chongqing’s land quotas trading program," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    16. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/6ggbvnr6munghes9ocq36eaai is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Filipe R. Campante & Quoc-Anh Do, 2014. "Isolated Capital Cities, Accountability, and Corruption: Evidence from US States," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(8), pages 2456-2481, August.
    18. Zhen Yang & Jun Lei & Jian-Gang Li, 2019. "Identifying the Determinants of Urbanization in Prefecture-Level Cities in China: A Quantitative Analysis Based on Spatial Production Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-18, February.
    19. Fikri Zul Fahmi, 2015. "Regional Distribution of Creative and Cultural Industries in Indonesia," ERSA conference papers ersa15p914, European Regional Science Association.
    20. Dusan Paredes Araya & Tomothy M Komarek, 2013. "Spatial Income Inequality in Chile and the Rol of Spatial Labor Sorting," Documentos de Trabajo en Economia y Ciencia Regional 46, Universidad Catolica del Norte, Chile, Department of Economics, revised Apr 2013.
    21. Laurent Parrot & Clovis Dongmo & Michel Ndoumbé & Christine Poubom, 2008. "Horticulture, livelihoods, and urban transition in Africa: evidence from South‐West Cameroon," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 39(2), pages 245-256, September.
    22. Yan Yan & Hui Liu & Ningcheng Wang & Shenjun Yao, 2021. "How Does Low-Density Urbanization Reduce the Financial Sustainability of Chinese Cities? A Debt Perspective," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-18, September.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:41:y:2004:i:11:p:2245-2272. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/urbanstudiesjournal .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.