Youth Migration and Transitions to Adulthood in Developing Countries

THE ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

July 2013, Volume 648

Editors:
Fatima Juarez, Thomas LeGrand, Cynthia Lloyd, Susheela Singh and Veronique Hertrich

Currently, it is estimated that there are 1.1 billion young people aged 15-24 in the developing world, accounting for nearly one-fifth (18.6 percent) of the total population. During this time of life, young people experience enormous changes due to physical maturation, which is accompanied by cognitive, social/emotional, and interpersonal changes. It is a period when the influence of par ents and families gradually diminishes and the influence of external factors, such as peers; the media; the educational environment; and, more generally, the eco nomic, social, and cultural environments in which they live, are increasingly prominent.

The articles in this volume of The ANNALS can be classified by three themes: migration in the context of transitions to adulthood, including schooling, employment, and family formation; consequences of migration for health, reproductive outcomes, and childbear ing; and migration strategies and consequences. All the articles presented here are innovative in their approach, and their findings advance our understand ing of youths' migration and transitions to adulthood in developing countries. These studies and their findings clearly attest to the enormous diversity of situations of youth migration, transitions to adulthood, and the con texts in which they occur across developing countries. For some adolescents and young adults, migration brings with it very serious risks and often negative consequences, while for others it opens horizons and is associated with expanding opportunities in both the social and economic spheres.

Paperback: $35.00, Sale Price $28.00, ISBN: 9781483333182
Hardcover: $48.00, Sale Price $38.40, ISBN: 9781483333175