Moving and Communicating Across Borders

Abstract

Discusses two international movements in which youth play major roles: international migration and the spread of information and ideas through information and communication technologies (ICTs). Involvement in these two movements can enhance growth and alleviate poverty as well as broaden opportunities, enhance capabilities, and create second chances when things go wrong in transitions. Young people's opportunities widen when they can migrate to work abroad or use today's technologies to acquire new skills and get better jobs at home, but young people in many developing countries have few legal options to migrate—leading to illegal migration and trafficking. The rapid expansion in mobile phone and ICT use has yet to reach many young workers. The challenge for policymakers is to extend the benefits of migration and ICTs to more youth in developing countries—and to enhance their development impact while mitigating the new risks.