"The migration of labor from rural to urban areas is an important part of the urbanization process in developing countries. Even though it has been the focus of abundant research over the past five decades, some key policy questions have not found clear answers yet. To what extent is internal migration a desirable phenomenon and under what circumstances? Should governments intervene and, if so, with what types of interventions? What should be their policy objectives? To shed light on these important issues, the authors survey the existing theoretical models and their conflicting policy implications and discuss the policies that may be justified based on recent relevant empirical studies. A key limitation is that much of the empirical literature does not provide structural tests of the theoretical models, but only provides partial findings that can support or invalidate intuitions and in that sense, support or invalidate the policy implications of the models. The authors' broad assessment of the literature is that migration can be beneficial or at least be turned into a beneficial phenomenon so that in general migration restrictions are not desirable. They also identify some data issues and research topics which merit further investigation. "--World Bank web site.

This study provides insights into a specific, hard-to-reach youth subpopulation—those born in agricultural areas in Western Kenya who migrate to large towns and cities—that is often missed by research and development activities. Using a mixed-methods approach, we find high variability in movement of youth between rural villages, towns, and large urban areas. Top reasons for youth migration align with existing literature, including pursuit of job opportunities and education. For youth from villages where crop farming is the primary economic activity for young adults, 77 percent responded that they are very interested in that work, in contrast to the common notion that youth are disinterested in agriculture. We also find many youth interested in settling permanently in their villages in the future. This research confirms that youth migration is dynamic, requiring that policymakers and development practitioners employ methods of engaging youth that recognize the diversity of profiles and mobility of this set of individuals.

Includes statistics.