Migration in the Circumpolar North

Migration has played a significant role in development throughout the circumpolar north. It has affected the size and demographic composition of Arctic communities and has influenced the public and private services provided to the residents of these communities. Global change will affect the population of the north as the arctic and its resources are of interest to the world economy. Understanding migration will provide a foundation for anticipating the demographic future of the region. This book provides an introduction to the study of migration in the circumpolar north, a region that includes the northern parts of eight Arctic nations (Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Greenland (Denmark), Canada, and the US). The Norths in each of these eight countries share certain demographic and environmental characteristics as well as an economic base dependent on natural resource production. In much of the north, indigenous populations continue to practice place-specific traditional economic activities. This volume provides the reader with an overview of the causes and consequences of migration behaviour in the northern regions of most Arctic countries and discusses policy issues that arise from the recent northern migration experience. The chapters provide an opportunity to explore the northern experience through a representative selection of research from various disciplines and regions. The divergent institutional, economic, and policy histories in similar environmental circumstances suggest that much can be learned by comparing and contrasting the migration experience around the circumpolar north. The lessons learned can be useful to both academics and policy makers interested in the north and its communities. Chapters by: Lawrence C. Hamilton; Lee Huskey and Lance Howe; Chris Southcott; Timothy Heleniak; Lasse Sigbj?rn Stamb?l; Olle Westerlund; Elil Heikkil? and Maria Pikkarainen; Stephanie Martin; Tatiana Vlasova and Audrey N. Petrov; and Alla Bolotova and Florian Stammler.