Title: Shadow households and competing auspices: migration behavior in the Philippines.

POPLINE Document Number: 018195

Author(s):

Caces F
Arnold F
Fawcett JT
Gardner RW

Source citation:

[Unpublished] 1982. Presented at the 51st Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America, San Diego, California, April 28-May 1, 1982. 33 p.

Abstract:

The concepts of shadow households and competing auspices are introduced and developed in an attempt to assist in clarifying the role of households and families in migration processes. The household is defined as including all persons committed to a set of residentially centered interpersonal relationships and can be analytically decomposed into a residential household component and a shadow household component. The shadow household consists of all former members who are not now living in a household but whose principal obligations and commitments are to that household. The concept of competing auspices is related to both the gravity theory of migration and the theory of intervening opportunities. It is hypothesized that intentions to move from point X to point Y are, "ceteris paribus," positively related to the presence of relatives and close friends who can help a person at point Y and negatively related to such links at any other point Z. All potential destinations are considered regardless of their location, and the attraction of a destination is measured by the availability and strength of auspices, rather than by sheer population size or economic opportunities. Auspices comprise only one of the many factors influencing migration decisions, but they are frequently an important consideration in the choice of destinations. The concept of competing auspices could be broadened to include other "pull" factors, if desired. The data are derived from a 1980 cross-sectional survey of 1744 adults in the province of Ilocos Norte in the Philippines. Data on remittances, correspondence, and future migration plans all pointed to a strong continuing commitment to the Ilocos Norte household among former household members and those who intend to move out in the future. The survey also confirmed the importance of auspices in potential destinations in both internal and international migration decision making. The presence of auspices also was found to be one of the most important determinants of migration intentions in multivariate analyses. The findings suggest that both shadow households and competing auspices are useful concepts in migration theory. Available data from Ilocos Norte are not ideal for quantifying and testing these concepts, but data from later stages of the Philippine Migration Study will provide additional indicators.

Keywords:

Philippines
Households
Migration, Internal
Population Dynamics
International Migration
Migrant Workers
Income
Socioeconomic Factors
Behavior
Asia, Southeastern
Asia
Developing Countries
Family and Household
Migration
Demographic Factors
Population
Labor Force
Human Resources
Economic Factors