Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 5, 2025

Predicting the Effectiveness of Population Replacement Strategy Using Mathematical Modeling
Published on: July 4, 2007
Embracing uncertainty: rethinking migration policy through pastoralists' experiences
Natasha Maru1, Michele Nori2, Ian Scoones1
1Institute of Development Studies (IDS), PASTRES Programme, University of Sussex, Library Rd, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9RE UK.
Global migration governance struggles with complex realities. Lessons from mobile pastoralists reveal similarities in multi-directional patterns, diverse drivers, non-linear systems, and inherent uncertainty, offering hope for better policy.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Anthropology
- Political Science
Background:
- Global migration governance frameworks often fail to align with the complex, evolving nature of contemporary migration flows.
- There is a significant gap between current migration policies and the lived realities of migrants.
- Mobile pastoralist systems offer valuable insights into managing mobility and uncertainty.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore lessons for migration policy and governance by examining the experiences of mobile pastoralists.
- To identify similarities between international human migration and pastoral mobility.
- To propose reflections for bridging the gap between migration realities and governance policies.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of human migration flows (Europe, Africa) and pastoral systems (India, Italy, Kenya).
- Identification of four key interconnections between international migration and pastoral mobility.
- Qualitative insights drawn from pastoralist experiences.
Main Results:
- International migration and pastoral mobility share multi-directional, fragmented patterns.
- Both are driven by intersecting socio-economic, political, cultural, and environmental factors.
- Both operate in non-linear systems where uncertainty is an inherent, opportunity-rich feature, necessitating social navigation over rigid prediction.
Conclusions:
- Migration governance must adapt to the complex, non-linear realities of human mobility.
- Learning from pastoralist strategies can inform more effective and adaptive migration policies.
- Embracing uncertainty as a feature, rather than a crisis, can foster more hopeful and realistic migration governance.
More Related Videos
11:53Spatial Multiobjective Optimization of Agricultural Conservation Practices using a SWAT Model and an Evolutionary Algorithm
Published on: December 9, 2012
09:07Experimental Research Examining How People Can Cope with Uncertainty Through Soft Haptic Sensations
Published on: September 16, 2015
Related Concept Videos
Migration
Responses to Drought and Flooding
Uncertainty: Overview
Habitat Fragmentation
Biodiversity and Human Values
Conservation of Declining Populations