Economics is one of the so-called social sciences. Economic analysis attempts to explain a range of phenomena that affect society and how it operates. But how does it differ in its approach from other social sciences? This article takes a topical issue — that of migration — and explores the differing ways in which a sociologist and an economist would choose to explore migration and its impact on society.
Why does migration occur and how is it sustained over time? What happens to the migrants in receiving societies and what are the economic, social and political consequences of their presence? Historically, sociologists have focused on the second of these questions, leaving the first to economists and demographers. More recently, however, with increasing globalisation and interdependence of nation states, sociologists have turned their attention to the first question as well and identified new areas of inquiry. Here, I will outline some of the key concerns relating to the phenomenon of migration that have engaged sociologists, and highlight theories that have been developed to understand these concerns.
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