Explore the complexity of the migration for a rural population from the Philippines using sequence and graph analysis

Abstract

This paper focuses on the migration pathways (MP) of individuals from a rural population in the Philippines. The succession of migrations undertaken by an individual and the role of previous migration(s) in subsequent migration have received relatively little attention in migration studies. The present paper fills this knowledge gap by identifying MP types and exploring links between migrations from a life course perspective. It develops a methodological framework based on sequence and graph analysis. Based on research conducted in Bohol (Philippines) using field data, the two methods are jointly used to reveal the diversity of MP. We focused on migrations done between the ages of 15 and 30. Typical MP were identified using hierarchical clustering. Socioeconomic data collected during surveys were used to characterise the types of MP (e.g., gender, education and age). Sequence analysis revealed six types of MP: some are common across the Philippines (e.g., the circular migration towards Mindanao until the 1970s), while others are specific to the area (e.g., permanent migration toward other places in Bohol). Graphs offer alternative representations of MP that allow to consider the shape of both individual and collective MP. The approach developed here is reproducible, easy to implement and contributes to a better understanding of the complexity of migration by looking at the migrants' histories.