Towards an integrated framework for analysing the links between migration and livelihoods

Abstract

Although migration is often perceived as a livelihood strategy for both poor and non-poor households in developing countries such as Ghana, most livelihood frameworks overlook the links between migration and livelihoods. The author therefore reviews literature on livelihood approaches and compares the differences between some livelihood frameworks. The findings show that although all of the studied livelihood frameworks focus on sustainable development they differ in terms of their core mandates, which range from integrated rural development through the environment to sustainable human development. The contexts in which livelihoods are practised are influenced by institutional structures, processes and elements of vulnerability, which could be both internal and external. In conclusion, the author proposes an integrated framework for analysing the links between migration (both internal and international) and livelihood which have been glossed over in the literature.