Moving within Borders

Moving within Borders offers an invaluable contribution.  William Ascher and Shane Barter offer an absorbing, cogent, and authoritative account of internal migration across the world today. They offer a set of riveting case studies as well as a compelling theoretical framework for understanding them. They conclude with a set of policy remedies that can enable governments to deal with their internal migrations in ways that lessen the human costs. This book is must-reading for those interested in the plight of human beings who leave their homes in search of a better life.  

—Michael Lofchie, Professor of Political Science, UCLA 

If you had no idea that internal migrants outnumber their international counterparts by three to one, then this book is definitely for you. Drawing on an extensive literature and case studies from across the developing world, Ascher and Barter have written the most comprehensive account on internal migration yet. Their policy recommendations that focus on the role states can play complement an unassailably balanced, nuanced analysis that will be the go-to source on the subject for years to come. 

—Jamie S. Davidson, National University of Singapore  

This book highlights the attention that policymakers, activists, and the public should pay to internal migration. The book is distinctive in examining the full range of modes and motives of internal migration: state-sponsored or unsponsored, coerced or voluntary, land-seeking or market-seeking, urban or rural, and so on. While approaching internal migration holistically, it also emphasizes how it is distinct from international migration, especially the central role of the state, whose internal divisions and defensive reactions often play decisive roles in governing migration. 

William Ascher is Donald C. McKenna Professor of Government and Economics at Claremont McKenna College. His research focuses on poverty alleviation and sustainable development in all developing areas.

Shane Joshua Barter is Professor of Comparative Politics at Soka University of America. His research interests focus on separatist conflicts in Southeast Asia, civilian responses to war, conflict IDPs, and territorial autonomy.