Gavin Howe
German-English geographer and cartographer Ernst Georg Ravenstein (1834–1913) developed his Laws of Migration in the 1880s. Ravenstein's laws are based on data from the Census of Great Britain and detail the causes of human migration. They are considered the foundation of modern migration studies in geography, demography, and other fields.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Creator | Ernest George Ravenstein (also known as E. G. Ravenstein) |
| Date | 1885 |
| Basis | Data from the Census of Great Britain (1871 and 1881) |
| Number of Laws | 11 (some authors list up to 14) |
| Subject | Causes and patterns of migration |
| Key Points | Economic factors are the main cause of migration; migration occurs in stages; every migration flow produces a compensating counter-flow; the volume of migration experiences distance decay |
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What You'll Learn
- The laws were created by German-English geographer and cartographer, Ernest George Ravenstein
- They were presented in 1885 at the Statistical Society of England
- The laws are based on data from the Census of Great Britain (1871 and 1881)
- They detail the causes of human migration and form the basis for many population geography and demography studies
- There are 11 laws, although some authors list up to 14
The laws were created by German-English geographer and cartographer, Ernest George Ravenstein
Ravenstein's laws are based on data from the Census of Great Britain (1871 and 1881). He aimed to define the forces and laws governing inter-state and intra-state migration. He used birthplace data to establish the source of immigrants, as he could not explain changes in the population size and composition of the United Kingdom through intra-state migration alone.
Ravenstein's laws provide a general explanation of the causes and patterns of migration. They include the principle of distance decay, which states that the volume of migration declines with distance. People are more likely to migrate to nearby places, but if they do migrate over longer distances, they tend to choose major sources of economic activity, such as large cities.
Another of Ravenstein's laws is that every migration flow produces a compensating counter-flow. In other words, for every group of people that emigrate from one place to another, some of those individuals will eventually return.
Ravenstein also theorized that people migrate in stages. Rather than migrating directly from a village to a metropolis, they will first move to a small town, then to a larger city, and only then to the metropolis.
These laws have had a significant influence on the field of migration studies and have inspired all subsequent theories of migration. They have also influenced theories of push and pull factors, the gravity model, and distance decay.
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They were presented in 1885 at the Statistical Society of England
The Ravenstein Laws of Migration were first presented in 1885 at the Statistical Society of England by Ernest George Ravenstein, a German-English geographer and cartographer. Ravenstein was a pioneer in demography, providing the theoretical framework for understanding the spatial movement of migrants. He aimed to define the forces and laws governing inter-state and intra-state migration, as he could not explain the changes in the population size and composition of the United Kingdom through intra-state migration alone.
Ravenstein's theories were based on data from the Census of Great Britain, specifically birthplace data from the 1871 and 1881 censuses. His theories have become the foundation of modern migration studies in geography, demography, and other fields, influencing theories of push and pull factors, the gravity model, and distance decay. His work also impacted the understanding of sex and age differentials in migration, although some of his assumptions about their relative importance have been questioned and require further research.
One of Ravenstein's key contributions was his theory of stepped migration, which suggests that migration occurs gradually and in stages. People do not typically migrate directly from villages to metropolises, but rather in a step-by-step process, moving from villages to small towns, then from small towns to cities, and finally from cities to metropolises. This theory has been supported by subsequent research.
Ravenstein also proposed the principle of distance decay, which states that the volume of migration between two places declines with distance. In other words, people are more likely to migrate to nearby places, and if they do migrate to farther locations, they tend to choose major centres of economic activity or large cities. This principle aligns with the Gravity Model of Migration.
Another law proposed by Ravenstein is the concept of counter-migration or counter-flow. He theorised that every migration flow generates a return or counter-migration, meaning that migration between two places is rarely unidirectional. Some individuals who emigrate from one place to another eventually return, as seen in the example of Indians migrating to the USA or Canada and then coming back to India to start businesses.
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The laws are based on data from the Census of Great Britain (1871 and 1881)
The Ravenstein Laws of Migration, also known as E. G. Ravenstein's Laws of Migration, were developed by German-English geographer and cartographer Ernst George Ravenstein (1834-1913). Ravenstein's theories, which he presented in 1885, were based on data from the Census of Great Britain conducted in 1871 and 1881.
Ravenstein's work focused on understanding the spatial movement of migrants and the forces that govern interstate and intrastate migration. He aimed to explain the changes in the population size and composition of the United Kingdom, which could not be fully understood through intrastate migration data alone. By analysing birthplace data from the 1871 and 1881 censuses, he established the sources of immigrants and developed laws that describe the movement of people over space.
Ravenstein's laws are considered the foundation of modern migration studies in geography, demography, and other fields. They have influenced theories about push and pull factors, the gravity model, and distance decay. His laws are often numbered, but the numbering varies depending on the author, leading to some confusion. Geographer D. B. Grigg's 1977 synopsis standardised 11 laws, which have become widely accepted.
Ravenstein's laws include the principle of distance decay, which states that the volume of migration between two places declines with distance. People are more likely to migrate to nearby places, but if they migrate over longer distances, they tend to choose large cities. This is supported by the gravity model of migration. Another law suggests that migration occurs in steps and stages, with people migrating from villages to small towns, then from small towns to cities, and finally from cities to metropolises.
Other laws include the concept of counter-migration, where every migration flow generates a return or counter-migration. Additionally, Ravenstein observed that rural inhabitants were more likely to migrate than urban dwellers, and that migration was primarily driven by economic factors. While some of Ravenstein's ideas have been updated or discarded, his laws continue to provide valuable insights into migration patterns and have influenced all subsequent theories in the field.
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They detail the causes of human migration and form the basis for many population geography and demography studies
The Ravenstein Laws of Migration, developed by German geographer Ernst Georg Ravenstein, were first published in an 1885 paper titled "The Laws of Migration." These laws detail the causes and patterns of human migration and have formed the basis for many subsequent studies in population geography and demography. Ravenstein's work was groundbreaking as he was one of the first scholars to systematically analyze and quantify migration patterns, using data from the 1881 UK census.
There are 13 laws in total, and they cover various aspects of migration. Some of the key laws include: the notion that migration is largely a rural-to-urban phenomenon, with people moving from the countryside to cities in search of better economic opportunities; the idea that migrants tend to move relatively short distances, with most migrations occurring over short distances and longer-distance migrations being less common; and the observation that migrants often return to their place of origin, with a significant proportion of migrants eventually returning to their original homes, a pattern known as circular migration.
Ravenstein also noted that migrants tend to settle in areas where there are already established communities of people from their region or country of origin, a concept known as chain migration. He also observed that migration is often a step-by-step process, with people moving multiple times in their lives, and that it is influenced by factors such as age and gender, with younger adults being more likely to migrate than older individuals, and men tending to migrate more than women.
The Ravenstein Laws of Migration have had a significant influence on the field of human geography and demography. They provided a framework for understanding migration patterns and have guided policies and research in the field for over a century. While some of the laws have been refined or modified in light of more recent data and changing global conditions, they still form the foundation for much of the study of human migration.
Population geographers and demographers continue to build on Ravenstein's work, using more sophisticated data and methods to understand the complex dynamics of human migration in the modern world. By analyzing global migration patterns, these scholars are able to inform policy decisions and contribute to a better understanding of the social, economic, and cultural impacts of migration. The study of migration is a dynamic and evolving field, and Ravenstein's laws continue to play a pivotal role in shaping its development.
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There are 11 laws, although some authors list up to 14
The German-English geographer and cartographer Ernest George Ravenstein (1834–1913) developed the 'Laws of Migration' in the 1880s. They are based on data from the Census of Great Britain (1871 and 1881) and detail the causes of human migration. Ravenstein's laws are the foundation of modern migration studies in geography, demography, and other fields. They influenced theories of push factors and pull factors, the gravity model, and distance decay.
Ravenstein's laws are often numbered, but the numbering varies depending on the author. Geographer D. B. Grigg established 11 laws in 1977, which have become the standard. However, some authors list up to 14 laws, all derived from Ravenstein's works. These laws are related to factors such as distance, the volume of migration, and the characteristics of migrants.
The first law, the Principle of Distance Decay, states that the volume of migration between two places declines with distance. This means that people are more likely to migrate to nearby places, as seen in the Gravity Model of Migration. The second law regarding distance states that people migrating over longer distances tend to choose large cities.
Another law states that every migration flow generates a return or counter-migration. In other words, the flow of migration between two places is not unidirectional, as some people eventually return to their place of origin. Related to this is the law of stepped migration, which suggests that people migrate in stages rather than directly from rural areas to metropolises.
Other laws include the observation that larger towns receive a greater number of migrants and that most migrants are adults, with long-distance migrants more likely to be male. Ravenstein also noted that economic factors are the main cause of migration, with migrants tending to move towards major sources of economic activity.
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Frequently asked questions
Ravenstein's Laws of Migration were created in the 1880s.
German-English geographer and cartographer Ernest George Ravenstein (1834-1913) created the laws.
The laws were based on data from the Census of Great Britain (1871 and 1881).
The laws are based on the idea that economic factors are the main cause of migration.
Ravenstein's laws include the following principles:
- Migration flows from the country of dispersal to the country of absorption.
- The majority of migrants move short distances.
- Migration occurs in stages, from villages to small towns, then to cities, and finally to metropolises.
- Every migration flow produces a compensating counter-flow.
