International Migration Management for Poverty Reduction: How can International collaboration turn cross-border migration in a poverty reduction tool?

Abstract

The present paper explores the connections between cross-border migration and the global goal to eradicate poverty in all its forms everywhere in order to identify the ways in which cross-border migration can support poverty reduction targets. Assessing perspectives of Germany and Nigeria as presented in secondary and tertiary literature, this paper concludes that collaboration between countries with different perspectives can contribute to turning cross-border migration into a poverty reduction tool. However, these case studies also uncover a lack of actual cooperation and policy integration, thus leaving potential cross-bordermigration benefits largely unexploited. Finally, based on the insights from these perspectives, this paper proposes a framework for assessing and evaluating potential policies that may help turn cross-border migration into a driver for poverty eradication. However, the proposed framework requires major rethinking of existing power imbalances in international cooperation.