George J. Demko

The Postwar Mobility Transition in Eastern Europe

In this article we shall examine the decline of migration and its replacement by commuting in Eastern Europe specifically in the advanced industrial nations of the Soviet Union the German Democratic Republic Czechoslovakia Poland and Hungary. Since World War II these countries have experienced changes in mobility that are characteristic of the passage in Zelinskys model from the Early Transitional Society phase through Advanced Society phase and even exhibit elements in the attempts to control mobility of his Future Superadvanced Society. We however view the degree and rate of this transition as the result not of inexorable and universal process but of deliberate government interventions in the economies of the socialist nations. These interventions have severely affected the characteristics and consequences of the mobility transition resulting in distortions in Eastern European patterns that raise questions as to the wide applicability and utility of the mobility transition hypothesis. (excerpt)

INTERNAL MIGRATION IN THE SOVIET UNION

Internal migration as revealed in the Soviet Census of 1970 is heavily biased toward urban areas and certain economically and environmentally attractive regions such as the Central Industrial Region and the Ukrainian South. The earlier heavy migrant flows into Kazakhstan and the Central Asian Republics have reversed to the point where net out-migration is now characteristic of the region. The eastern regions of the country, the Siberias and the Far East, are involved heavily in migrant flows-West Siberia continues to experience negative migrant balances while East Siberia and the Far East enjoy small, but important, positive balances. The USSR is divided into two types of regions, economically developed and less developedagrarian, and it is shown that the former type attracted migrants because of living conditions whereas the latter were net losers of migrants. Inmigration to the less developed, agrarian regions, however, is related to regional wage differentials. The results of the analysis raise a number of questions concerning the effectiveness of Soviet policies to direct migration flows within the country.

POPULATION CONCENTRATION IN AN URBAN SYSTEM: KOREA 1949-1980

This study focuses on growth and change in the urban system of the Republic of Korea over the past three decades. In an analysis of system-wide and subregional growth trends, with particular emphasis given to the Gini coefficient of population concentration, two stages of development are identified. During the 1950s and early 1960s, the system experienced numerical and spatial expansion, along with growing concentration in the largest centers. Since the late 196Os, the main process has been concentrated in Seoul and in the places immediately below it in the city-size distribution. Spatially, this concentration has taken the form of a core-corridor from Seoul to Busan. In large part, these changes reflect the transformation to an urbanindustrial economy, but they also reflect government policies which have focused heavily on Seoul, but perhaps not heavily enough, on the spatial distribution of other large centers in the urban system.

Population distribution policies in developed Socialist and Western nations.

The population distribution policies and instruments used in the developed European countries with particular reference to Poland Hungary the German Democratic Republic Czechoslovakia and the USSR and the developed marked and mixed economies of Western Europe North America and Australia are examined. The development of population distribution policies and policy objectives in each group of countries is discussed along with a detailed comparison of policy instruments. A review of selected evaluation studies and discussion of the implications for policy and research is included. The population distribution policies of both Eastern and Western countries appears to suffer from being directed at populations-at-large while migration theory would suggest that policies would be more effective if targeted at specific subgroups of the population taking advantage of known migration differentials by age education levels and cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Policies would be more successful if they explicitly incorporated knowledge regarding directional and distance biases in migration streams. The experience of population redistribution attempts in developed countries suggests that knowledge in many areas is below the level necessary to accurately guide policymakers and further research is required on such subjects as the determination of optimum settlement and population distribution patterns the redistribution mechanism and the theoretical and empirical analysis of policies and policy impacts.

Rethinking population distribution policies.

Developed and developing nations are generally dissatisfied with the spatial distributions of their populations. Dissatisfaction is particularly acute on the part of developing nations which view their problems of population distribution as more serious than those of natural increase. The overwhelming majority of governments have already adopted policies to affect rates and patterns of internal migration or the configuration of their rural and urban populations. However, recent reviews of these policies suggest they have been only partially successful. Apparent policy deficiencies are reviewed and possible remedies suggested in regard to the need for intervention, the scope of policies, their objectives, instruments, and evaluation.

COMMUTING IN THE USSR

The number of commuters in the USSR is estimated to have reached 10–12 million in 1970. Commuting remains understudied by Soviet scholars because of a lack of agreement on its role in relation to migration and other forms of mobility, and inadequacies in available data sources. Analysis of 1970 sample census data show rural commuting to be relatively most important in the western areas of the country and least important in Siberia and Central Asia. While in absolute terms, the largest numbers of commuters are found in large cities, there is some evidence that commuting is relatively more important in small cities. Over 90 percent of commuter movements employ public transportation and the growth in number of commuters has been largely accommodated by an increase in bus routes and capacities. Commuting distances have become extended and many commuters must now spend a substantial time in daily travel. In-commuters are not representative of the labor force but are biased toward young, low-skilled workers, oc...

Reordering the World: Geopolitical Perspectives on the Twenty-First Century

Part 1 Recurring issues and problems: introduction - international relations through the prism of geography, George J. Demko and William B. Wood geopolitics in the new world era - a new perspective on an old discipline, Saul B. Cohen the power and politics of maps, Alan K. Henrikson people together, yet apart - rethinking territory, sovereignty and identities, David B. Knight international boundaries - lines in the sand (and the sea), Bradford L. Thomas electoral geography and gerrymandering - space and politics, Richard Morrill. Part 2 Resources, the environment and population: exploiting, conserving and preserving natural resources, Susan L. Cutter global environmental hazards - politicial issues in societal responses, Roger E. Kasperson global ecopolitics, Phyllis Mofson population, politics and geography - a global perspective, G.J. Demko crossing the line - geopolitics on international migration, W.B. Wood. Part 3 Changing international processes and relations: international law and the sovereign state - challenges to the status quo, Alexander B. Murphy the Fourth World - nations versus states, Bernard Nietschmann the United States and NGOs - future roles, Christine Drake global hegemony versus national economy - the United States in the New World Order, John Agnew maximizing entropy? - new geopolitical orders and the internationalization of business, Stuart Corbridge geopolitical information and communication in shrinking and expanding worlds 1900-2100, Stanley D. Brunn and Jeffrey A. Jones.