Migration, remittances, livelihood trajectories, and social resilience

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Sociology
• Economics

Background:

• Demographic change, including migration, significantly influences social resilience and resource sustainability.
• Social resilience is defined as the capacity to adapt to environmental and social changes through effective institutions.
• Coastal Vietnam's resource-dependent communities face unique challenges linking demographic shifts to sustainable development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of migration and remittances on social resilience in Vietnam's coastal population source areas.
• To analyze the relationship between demographic change, social resilience, and sustainable development in resource-dependent communities.
• To understand how migration influences community adaptation and resource management in coastal Vietnam.

Main Methods:

• Utilized longitudinal data on livelihood sources to assess changes over time.
• Examined the dual impacts of emigration and remittances on community resilience.
• Analyzed the interplay between migration, economic inequality, and resource use patterns.

Main Results:

• Emigration and remittances exert offsetting effects on social resilience.
• Emigration is concurrent with, not the cause of, unsustainable coastal aquaculture expansion.
• Increasing economic inequality negatively impacts social resilience, while income diversification and growth enhance it.

Conclusions:

• Migration's impact on social resilience is complex, influenced by economic factors and institutional contexts.
• Sustainable development in coastal regions requires addressing both migration dynamics and resource management practices.
• Policies should aim to mitigate negative impacts of inequality and unsustainable resource use while leveraging benefits of migration and income diversification.