World systems theory thus argues that international migration follows the
political and economic organization of an expanding global market, a view that
yields six distinct hypotheses:
1 International migration is a natural consequence of capitalist market
formation in the developing world; the penetration of the global economy into
peripheral regions is the catalyst for international movement.
2 The international flow of labor follows the international flow of goods
and capital, but in the opposite direction. Capitalist investment foments changes
that create an uprooted, mobile population in peripheral countries while simultaneously forging strong material and cultural links with core countries, leading
to transnational movement.