Migration in the Circumpolar North issues and contexts

2010·13.7 MB·English

Migration in the
Circumpolar North:
Issues and Contexts

Lee Huskey and Chris Southcott
Editors

CCI Press in cooperation with the University of the Arctic

2010
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Migration in the Circumpolar North: issues and contexts / Lee Huskey and
Chris Southcott, editors.

Papers presented at Migration in the Circumpolar North Lessons Learned,
Questions Remaining, a workshop held in June 2007 at the University of
Roskilde in Denmark. Co-published by the University of the Arctic.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-896445-48-9

1. Migration, Internal—Arctic regions. 2. Arctic regions—
Emigration and immigration. 3. Rural-urban migration--Arctic regions. 4.
Indigenous peoples—Arctic regions—Population. 5. Arctic regions—
Population.
I. Huskey, Lee II. Southcott, Chris III. Canadian Circumpolar Institute
IV. University of the Arctic

HB2155.A3M54 2010 304.80911'3 C2010-904007-4

© 2010 CCI Press in cooperation with the University of the Arctic

All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical,
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Occasional Publication No. 64
CCIP ISBN-13 978-1-896445-48-9
CCIP ISSN 0068-0303
Table of Contents

Introduction
Lee Huskey and Chris Southcott iii

Chapter 1:
Footprints: Demographic Effects of Out-migration
Lawrence C. Hamilton 1

Chapter 2:
The Complex Geography of Native Migration in Arctic Alaska
Lee Huskey and Lance Howe 15

Chapter 3:
Migration in the Canadian Arctic: An Introduction
Chris Southcott 35

Chapter 4:
Migration and Population Change in the Russian Far North in the 1990s
Timothy Heleniak 57

Chapter 5:
Impacts of Regional Labour Market Changes on Migration Trends: Research
Examples from Norway
Lasse Sigbjørn Stambøl 93

Chapter 6:
Determinants of Migration in Northern Sweden: Exploring Intraregional
Differences in Migration Processes
Olle Westerlund 117

Chapter 7:
Migration and Population Dynamics in the Regions of Finland: Special
Analysis of Lapland
Elli Heikkilä and Maria Pikkarainen 133

i
Chapter 8:
Who Moves and Why: Stylized Facts About Iñupiat Migration in Alaska
Stephanie Martin 147

Chapter 9:
Migration and Socio-Economic Well-Being in the Russian North:
Interrelations, Regional Differentiation, Recent Trends, and Emerging
Issues
Tatiana Vlasova and Andrey N. Petrov 163

Chapter 10:
How the North Became Home: Attachment to Place Among Industrial
Migrants in Murmansk Region
Alla Bolotova and Florian Stammler 193

ii
Introduction

____________________________________________
Lee Huskey and Chris Southcott
Migration can have a major impact on the population size, demographic
structure, and character of Arctic communities, and is likely to result in
long-term changes in towns and villages across the North. Differences in
demographic structure, history, and relevant policies have produced
different patterns of population movement throughout the North, patterns
that have changed over time and will likely change in the future. The papers
in this volume reflect an effort to understand both the causes and
consequences of this northern migration experience.
The Circumpolar North is an interesting region in which to study
migration. This area, which includes the northern regions of Canada,
Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Russia as well the state of Alaska and
Greenland, shares certain environmental characteristics and an economic
base dependent on natural resource production. For the most part, northern
regions are relatively poor, but benefit from being located in wealthy
democratic countries. Communities in the region are generally small, but
the North does contain some cities. Migration patterns relate to rural–urban
migration that occurs throughout the world. The importance of place-
specific, traditional economic activities among the indigenous population of
the North makes the migration stories unique in the developed countries of
the world.
The papers in this book were originally presented at Migration in the
Circumpolar North: Lessons Learned, Questions Remaining, a workshop
held in June 2007 at the University of Roskilde in Denmark. As the title
suggests, the primary purpose of the workshop was to identify both what we
know about migration in the north and what important research questions
remain. The motivation for the exchange was a sense that while there is a
great deal of research on migration in the North, this research is specific to
both discipline and region.
In gathering people from several disciplines and regions of the
circumpolar north our intent was to begin to develop a synthesis of this
research. Eighteen papers were presented by economists, geographers,
sociologists, and anthropologists, describing migration studies from all
Arctic nations. One goal of this interdisciplinary, comparative approach was
to arrive at a set of stylized facts and hypotheses about northern migration
that would be useful in further work. Participants spent a good part of the
workshop time discussing the general themes they saw developing
throughout.
iii
Migration in the Circumpolar North
The workshop was organized by participants in the Boreas project,
Understanding Migration in the Circumpolar North. Boreas is a program of
the European Science Foundation’s EUROCORES that has an objective to
provide a framework for national research funding agencies to support
multinational, multidisciplinary collaborative research. The Boreas program
was developed to promote circumpolar research. Two research themes—the
relationship between humans and their environment, and population
movement associated with community change—were especially relevant to
the study of migration.
There were seven projects funded through Boreas. Understanding
Migration in the Circumpolar North (UMCN) was one of these. The
principle objective of UMCN is to improve our understanding of migration
flows throughout the circumpolar north. This volume represents one
element of the project—the synthesis of migration research from different
social science disciplines and from countries throughout the Arctic. UMCN
is a collaborative effort of the national science funding agencies of the
United States, Canada, and Denmark. The Roskilde workshop was
supported by a US National Science Foundation grant (ARC–0639211); the
preparation of the book is a joint US–Canada effort.
One obstacle to the study of migration is limited data, both in terms
of quantity and quality. Data allowing the description of individual
migration decisions is especially limited; therefore, a second objective of
UMCN is to develop quantitative information on the determinants and
consequences of migration. To this end, individual projects which use
similar quantitative approaches were also invited to participate in UMCN.
Studies dealing with northern Canada, Greenland, and the Chukhotka region
of Russia are the core focus of the UMCN project. Associated projects in
Alaska and northern Sweden follow similar study approaches. Several
papers illustrate the variety of data availability and quantitative methods
used in migration studies.
What did we learn from the three day workshop in Roskilde? Given
the variety of disciplines and regions represented, it was possible that no
general conclusions would surface. However, a number of lessons did
emerge from the presentations and discussions; these can be grouped into
seven observations:

The Circumpolar North presents a variety of migration
experiences, but the general patterns of migration are similar
around the region. The North is currently a sending region;
for the most part, more people leave than move to the North.
Variation in this pattern over time or in particular places
reflects differences in the determinants of migration. This
variation provides the basis for examining the role of social,
economic, community, and policy factors in migration
decisions.
iv
Introduction

There are a variety of techniques that provide valuable
insight into the determinants and consequences of migration.
Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were featured
that used regression analysis, descriptive analysis of
migration data, historical and institutional analysis, and key
informant interviews. One benefit of the interdisciplinary
approach is that each method informs approaches using other
techniques.

A wide variety of population movement types can be
considered ‘migration.’ Short-term movement may be
considered migration by some and simply commuting by
others. Short-term movement may be for education and
training as well as for work. The study of migration also
depends on the region examined. Migration within regions
might not be counted unless the community is the unit of
study. Net migration tells us less about migration than do the
population flows into and out of the region.

The geography of migration seems similar in many regions.
In the North, larger places seem to gain relative to smaller
communities. The draw of larger northern college, science, or
administrative centers provides an example of this. Migrants
don’t always leave the region, and migration between
communities reveals an interesting geographic pattern.
Finally, there is some evidence that the stepping stone pattern
of movement found in many developing countries is also
found in the North. Evidence suggests people move in stages
to ever larger communities.

Migration throughout the North takes place for a variety of
reasons. Bright lights, family, jobs, and education were all
isolated as reason for movement. Some temporary
movements, such as for education, may result in longer-term
‘moves; university centers provide examples of growing
communities as magnets for regional residents. The
presentations also revealed a number of factors limiting
migration from northern communities, such as family ties and
the inability of the unemployed to finance moves. For
northern communities, the importance of traditional activities
such as hunting, gathering, fishing, and herding to the
indigenous population both limits out-migration and attracts
return migrants.
v
Migration in the Circumpolar North

The North provides ample opportunity to examine the effects
of public policy on migration. Migration has not always been
voluntary. The northern experience provides examples of
forced migration and moves that have been strongly
encouraged by the pattern of public service provision.
Education, transfer, and development policies all have had
intended or unintended consequences on migration.

Migration is not a random event. Across the North, the
evidence is that the propensity to move varies across different
types of people. Because of this, migration will have long-
term consequences for communities. The character of places
as well as the number of people will change. A primary
example of this effect is the gender gap found in many
smaller northern communities; one explanation for this gap is
the higher propensity of females to move from the smaller
communities. Higher rates of migration among the educated
and the young adults will also change the population
character of small communities.

This book represents the first step in an ambitious research agenda.
Ultimately, the objective is to understand the causes and consequences of
migration for various groups in the Circumpolar North. The Roskilde
workshop and this book address one of the obstacles to this goal, that is, the
fragmented nature of migration research by region and discipline. The
dialogue was continued through a series of workshops and meetings
supported by Boreas projects. The sharing of ideas across disciplines and
regions will contribute to answering research questions, generate new
questions, and provide opportunities for future collaboration.
The next steps for the Understanding Migration in the Circumpolar
North project address two limitations to northern migration research. The
first will address the data limits through statistical analysis of individual
migration behavior in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Chukhotka, and Sweden.
Modeling and data analysis will be at the individual level. Census data,
regional surveys, and data from the recent Survey of Living Conditions
(SLiCA) in the Arctic will be incoporated into the study. Using these
similar data sources the hypotheses generated through workshop
discussions will be tested. For these regions, we hope to develop an
understanding of individual, community, and policy factors that influence
individual migration decisions.
A second extension of the Roskilde workshop will be the publication
of a synthesis volume using a broad range of social sciences to describe the
patterns, causes, and consequences of migration in the Circumpolar North.
It will describe and compare the migration experiences of various northern
vi
Introduction

regions, whereby similarities and differences will provide an empirical base
around which such a synthesis can be organized. This variety of northern
experience will allow the exploration of general hypotheses and provide a
basis for developing stylized facts about this experience.
Beyond describing the variety of northern migration experiences, this
collaborative effort will explore general themes uncovered at Roskilde. This
effort will involve an international group of authors and will exlore
questions such as: Who migrates? What path does migration follow? What
factors influence migration? What role does public policy play in migration
decisions? What are the consequences for the migrants and the communities
left behind? What do migration patterns tell us about the quality of life of
migrants and those left behind? Is northern migration special?
The North provides a laboratory for the study of migration. The
lessons learned can be useful both to academics studying the region and to
policy makers. Policy approaches to northern regions range from those
encouraging the growth of smaller places to efforts to relocate populations
to larger communities. The divergent histories and variety of policy and
economic experiences in a land of similar environmental circumstances
suggest that much can be learned by comparing and contrasting the
migration experiences around the region. This volume and the efforts that
follow will add to the discussion about migration in both policy and
academic circles.
≈

The chapters in this volume are a representative selection of migration
research in the North. In the first chapter, Hamilton summarizes research
that he and others have conducted in the Circumpolar North since the
1990s. Two main factors are analyzed: the effects of gender and of age on
out-migration. Both women and working-age youth are seen to migrate out
of northern communities at a higher rate than men and other age groups.
This demographic reality leaves a ‘footprint’ on these communities that
impact their day-to-day functioning and development.
Huskey and Howe discuss recent patterns of migration in the
northern parts of Alaska, a region with a majority Iñupiat population that
has recently been a sending region experiencing net out-migration. While
the net out-migration captures the attention of policy makers, Huskey and
Howe identify other significant types of migration flows. Return migration
and migration between villages are significant in the region. Migration also
seems to follow a stepwise pattern, flowing from smaller to ever larger
places. An understanding of migration behavior in the north needs to
explain these additional types of migration.
Chapter 3 provides an introduction to migration research undertaken
in the Canadian North. Southcott points out that, historically, there have
been two main types of migration patterns: that of the indigenous
vii