The movement of peoples in developing countries has been intensively studied, and
in recent years the results of these studies have been thoroughly reviewed. One
needs good justification for preparing yet another review... (Simmons et al., 1977:
p. 5].'
However in the last decade, a substantial literature on the economics of internal migration
in the developing countries has appeared, and on this the present review focusses.
This literature encompasses theoretical contributions which, not surprisingly,
have moved in parallel with the broader evolution of mainstream microeconomic theory:
from simple human capital models with known alternative opportunities, through
treatment of uncertainty and search, to asymmetric information and strategic behavior.
The associated empirical evidence undoubtedly lags behind, yet at least some strands
have been subjected to extensive and increasingly sophisticated testing. Meanwhile
policy issues have remained at the fore, and experiences with migration related policies
have received much attention in the literature of recent years.