Continuities in Transnational Migration: An Analysis of Nineteen Mexican Communities

TLDR

Researchers in Mexican communities have noted both regularities and inconsistencies in how transnational migration evolves over time. The article proposes a theory explaining these patterns and argues that studies must report and control for community migration prevalence. It introduces a method to compare migration processes across communities. Data from 19 communities show that rising migration prevalence is linked to predictable demographic, social, and economic shifts, and that migration initially occurs within a narrow socioeconomic range but later expands to other social groups.

Abstract

Researchers working in Mexican communities have observed both regularities and inconsistencies in the way that transnational migration develops over time. This article presents a theory that accounts for these uniformities and discrepancies and proposes a method to compara the process of migration across communities. It also argues that studies must report and control for the prevalence of migration within communities. Data from 19 Mexican communities show that predicable demographic, social, and economic changes accompany increases in migratory prevalence. Although international migration begins within a narrow range of each community's socioeconomic structure, over time it broadens to incorporate other social groups.