Developmental impacts of interventions to support legal migration

There is very little impact evaluation evidence of the developmental outcomes of interventions to support regular migration. The review identified only one migration intervention (the New Zealand Recognised Seasonal Employment Programme) which had had rigorous impact evaluations conducted: the scheme was found to have positive impacts on employers, migrants and origin countries (Gibson & McKenzie, 2013; Winters, 2016). Otherwise the evidence base in relation to migration interventions was found to be consistently weak. The literature highlights the lack of ‘an evaluation culture’ in relation to migration policies and programmes, despite growing numbers of interventions; it stresses the need for strengthened impact evaluation and makes recommendations to promote this. Research on migration and development as a whole,however, is growing, with a number of research organisations working on these issues.

The K4D helpdesk service provides brief summaries of current research, evidence, and lessons learned. Helpdesk reports are not rigorous or systematic reviews; they are intended to provide an introduction to the most important evidence related to a research question. They draw on a rapid desk-based review of published literature and consultation with subject specialists.