Has immobility been left behind in migration regulatory infrastructures?

Abstract

AbstractThe article brings the concept of the immobile left‐behind population into the migration infrastructure debates focusing on countries of migrants' origin. Drawing on an analysis of government's migration policy in Kyrgyzstan and interviews with stakeholders in rural areas, the article concludes that the government relies on a traditional sectoral approach and agriculture in this regard and stands separately from mobility contexts. The policy discourse around outgoing migration focuses on mobility but less engages with return migration and the situation with left behind. We show how remittances‐dependant country keeps migration policy as a non‐active management tool. A starting point for a more holistic policy approach that includes the left‐behind population would be facilitating discussion of left‐behind needs in regions with active outmigration, including a wide range of stakeholders from migrants, family members, local authorities and migrant organizations. That would require essential changes in how policies are formulated and implemented, including introducing a cross‐cutting and multi‐level governance approach.