Week Seven: People in Motion

(Essay Questions)

Kingsley Davis. 1955. The origin and growth of urbanization in the world.

• What are the four reasons, according to Davis, that movement of people into cities is such an important topic?
• Describe the revolution in social organization that Davis says caused the shift from neolithic villages to larger preindustrial cities. Why did these cities remain so small?
• How does Davis distinguish between what he calls urban societies and a society with a preindustrial city in it? What does he say causes the first to emerge from the second?

Douglas S. Massey. 1999. International migration at the dawn of the twenty-first century: the role of the state.

• What global economic changes does Massey see as disrupting traditional societies and generating the potential for emigration? How do governments in these societies react to this potential population movement?
• Describe the three groups and the interests of each that Massey says determine immigration policy in receiving countries. How does the balance between these groups and the resulting immigration policy shift in different economic situations?
• Review the five factors that Massey says determine receiving states' ability to restrict immigration, and how each factor influences that ability. Where does the United States stand in terms of these factors?