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The following paper analyses the role of migration as a factor of socio-economic stabilization in the CIS region. Considering labor migration as an essential element of open societies, and labor market--as an integral part of the market system, the paper concentrates of the issue of migrants' remittances--their scale, forms, and territorial distribution. The major issues under consideration include the impact of migrants' remittances on their households' well-being and the socioeconomic stability of the source and host countries. Of special interest to the authors is the issue of the governmental response to the migration-affiliated financial flows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following a short-term burst of politically-motivated migration activity after the dissolution of the USSR, the current period is marked by the general contraction of the population territorial mobility in the region, the increasing importance of external emigration, and the growing role of the socio-economic factors in defining the character and intensity of the new migration flows. The expansion and substitution of temporary labor migration for the permanent politically motivated migration flows is particularly visible. Another important characteristic of the current situation is the disproportionate influence exercised by Russia on the formation of migration flows in the region. Russia remains the major recipient of migrants, increasingly plays a role of supplier of labor migrants to the West, and acts as a ?bridge? for those attempting to reach Western Europe. Relying on the data of the migrant households? surveys conducted in a number of post-Soviet states, the paper considers the reasons for the shift from the ethnic and political to the socio-economic factors of migration and discusses the major characteristics of the newly-forming labor migration flows. The major issues under consideration include the durability of the labor migration and the structural (professional and demographic) characteristics and the territorial orientation of the new migration flows. The authors conclude that labor migration serves as an effective mechanism of the market transition, providing for the economic survival of the population under the crisis conditions and formation of the middle class in the post-Soviet societies. Special attention in the paper is given to the policies of the countries of emigration and immigration towards the labor migrants and their impact on those countries? labor markets and welfare mechanisms. The authors see as one of the major problems the absence of an effective legislative base, institutional mechanisms, and political will for dealing with the new migration flows, preventing the effective incorporation of labor migrants by the societies of receiving states. This complicates the acquisition of legal status by many labor migrants, resulting in the criminalization of the spheres of economic activity in which they are employed and the growing corruption of state officials. Thus the solution of the problems associated with labor migration requires a comprehensive reform of the governmental policies and the labor and migrant legislation of the post-Soviet states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contrary to the original expectations, a short-term burst of politically motivated migration activity in the post-Soviet space in 1991-1994 was followed by the contraction of the population territorial mobility. Simultaneously, visible is the increase in importance of external emigration and the growing role of the socio-economic factors in defining the character and intensity of migration flows, including the expansion of temporary, labor and undocumented migration, and Russia?s consistently growing influence in the field of migrations in the region.These changes indicate the evolving relationship between the new migration wave and the conflicts developing in the post-Soviet region. Instead of being an indicator of discrimination of minorities in the newly-forming states, migration is increasingly becoming a mechanism of market transition, providing for the economic survival of the population under the crisis conditions and weakening the socio-economic tensions in the poorer countries. At the same time, migration flows can also stimulate the emergence of new conflicts resulting from the influx of large numbers of labor migrants and ethnic aliens in the receiving states. Thus the paper considers the role of the new migration flows as a factor that can either stimulate or moderate the political and socio-economic conflicts in the home and host countries of migrants as well as influence the international relations of the post-Soviet states. Also discussed is the governmental response to the new migration wave, including the frequent criminalization of labor migration by the receiving countries, and the impact of the new migration flows on the welfare mechanisms, financial systems, and labor markets of the countries of emigration and immigration. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proposed paper considers the role and dynamics of migrants? remittances in the post-Soviet region?their scale, forms, and territorial distribution. The major issues under consideration include the impact of migrants? remittances on their households? well-being and the socio-economic stability of the countries of emigration and immigration. The authors discuss both the negative (such as the increasing financial outflow from the receiving countries, the non-transparent character of many such flows, and the security aspects of the remittances problem) and the positive aspects of the migrants? financial transfers phenomenon. In this regard, of special interest to the authors is the stabilizing effect of migrants? remittances on the poorest post-Soviet states, including Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and Tajikistan. The paper analyses the governmental response to the migration-affiliated financial flows in the region. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]