This book analyses the links between migration and the composition, structure, and geographic distribution of populations. It discusses the evolution of population redistribution policies in Brazil, and examines internal migration between the 1930s and the 1980s.

Internal migration and urbanization are key dimensions of the process of socioeconomic development. The unprecedented movement of peoples within the borders of their own countries is one of the greatest transformations witnessed in the 20th century. Policy analysts, especially those from developing countries where internal migration can be felt at first hand, view migration as one of the most important factors affecting the course of development. It is within this context that UNFPA convened the Symposium on Internal Migration and Urbanization in Developing Countries in January 1996 in preparation for the United Nations World Conference on Human Settlements in Istanbul in June 1996. The final results of the symposium are found in this book. This volume provides a better understanding, at global level, of internal migration issues of concern to policy analysts.

This publication presents numerous papers from experts in the field covering the broad areas of: patterns of population distribution & development; social, environmental & policy aspects; international migration trends & prospects; & social, economic & political aspects of international migration. Population Distribution & Migration also presents papers from such bodies as: the Economic & Social Commission for Asia & the Pacific, the Economic & Social Commission for Latin America & the Caribbean, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements, the Food & Agriculture Organization, the World Health Organization & the International Organization for Migration, among others.

Perhaps because I grew up on a farm in Ohio, I have long been interested in rural development. Although I fll'St became a migrant at the age of 17 when I left the farm to continue my studies in a city college, I was not aware of the relation between rural development and migration until many years later when I began studying patterns of urban and rural poverty. This research has grown out of my continuing investigation of the ways that migration .has been seen as both a response to chronic conditions of rural poverty and a factor potentially exacerbating urban poverty conditions. If governments wanted to deal with urban poverty, they would want to restrict urban in-migration, yet if they reduced urban in-migration, this would remove one of the important means available to persons seeking to raise themselves out of rural impoverishment. This would clearly be a no-win situation for the rural poor; the only way to deal fairly with both urban and rural poverty would be to foster socio-economic development of rural areas. Thus, I became interested in studying the patterns of rural development which actually have had an effect on the migration decisions of rural families.

The shift toward the small nuclear family and the emergence of new roles for women have been among the conspicuous changes accompanying economic development and social modernization. The importance of changing autonomy for women in the reduction of control over women's lives by the extended family in the process of development raises questions abo

It took New York City (the world's largest metropolis in 1950) nearly a century and a half to expand by eight million residents. Mexico City and Sao Paulo will match this growth in less than fifteen years. Asia's mega-cities, too, are exploding in number and size. This kind of unprecedented growth is being echoed in the urban centers of developing nations around the globe. The essays in this volume address the wide array of problematic issues--as well as the opportunities and advantages--that are the natural outgrowth of such rapid urbanization. Third World Cities examines three sets of vital issues. Drawing on the experience and evidence of the past two decades, the book's initial chapters assess theoretical frameworks upon which urban and migration policies are based. The authors of the middle section press for fresh approaches to the increasing demands placed on institutions and individuals in the largest cities of the developing world. The final chapters examine the complex demographic, social, and economic processes of urban growth. Students, professionals, and policymakers in development and urban studies, public administration, sociology, political science and comparative politics, geography, and ethnic studies will find Third World Cities to be a refreshing and innovative look at this growing concern. "Third World Cities offers a range of new ideas on the demographic, social spatial, and environmental changes that are 'occurring so quickly that up-to-date evidence is elusive' . . . Third World Cities is both thought-provoking and highly readable." -The Economic Times