Research needed on Goa’s outbound and inbound migration.

• The connection between migration and development is essential in developing and constructing a more effective and sustainable migration policy and tackle the challenges and opportunities that migration brings.
• The researchers should also take a closer look at the term “development”.

What is the relationship between migration and development? And why do people choose to leave or stay in their home state or countries?

Those are among the questions a research project should explore with Goa’s outbound migration and in the consequent inbound migration.

Take the classic example of thousands of Goans who have migrated to Europe as EU citizens on their Portuguese citizenship. The mass exodus has its social, religious and economical effect in small state of India. On the other hand, it has opened the doors for Indians from other state to fill up the ‘space’ left empty by the migrating Goans.

It is high time the Goa Government should put in motion taking the help of the Goa University or any other educational institutes which is deep into research to kick off the project on migration.

The project could be in collaboration with research communities spread all over India and even outside the country.

The project should be able to come up with long-term solutions to migration challenges, among other things, by looking at the links between Goa’s migration to Europe and also Europe’s immigration policy and development policy.

Among the questions the researchers should be asking is what it takes for people to want to stay and create a future in their home countries or states.

The connection between migration and development is essential in developing and constructing a more effective and sustainable migration policy and tackle the challenges and opportunities that migration brings.

The researchers should also take a closer look at the term “development”.

Migration is not as simple as it sounds, because more development has proven to create more migration, not less. We have to analyze this gap and figure out what’s going on.

We should try to understand how different types of changes work. Development is often used as a collective term for all possible social changes in a positive direction, but in reality, some things can be better, for example more prosperity. At the same time, crime can increase, as well as the gap between the poor and the rich.

Hopefully, using the research will create a way for a better policy. Surely, we are on way to get new knowledge on migration which is also a piece in the political chess board on the Goa political scence.

It’s an important piece, which needs to be addressed and understood and remedial measures taken. And for that we need research from reputed institutions to frame policy on inbound and outbound migration. The time starts now.