Migration: comparing visions (Immigrazione: visioni a confronto)

The paper tries to synthesize the different interpretations of migration present on the ongoing discussion. Considering only two factors, necessity and social acceptability, four stereotyped visions (the society of the walls, the society of mercy, the society of ghettos, and the society of reason) are identified. The first three share the ideological assumption that migration flows are supply determined, that they are pushed by poverty, lack of jobs, and desperation due to the lack of perspectives of a better future. The fourth vision strongly supports the idea that migrations are determined by the structural lack of labour that characterize many developed regions, in the presence of an unlimited supply of labour in many developing and underdeveloped countries. The implications and consequences of this approach is that migrations flows are are unavoidable and useful to both groups of countries that should reach political agreements to manage them in the advantage of both.