Information and Refugee Migration: The Case of Mozambicans in Malawi

"Despite increasing prominence in international population movements, refugee migration is a poorly understood social and spatial process. Common assumptions about refugee migration have rarely been empirically tested. This article focuses attention on the migration decision-making process of refugees. Its conceptual basis is that the decision making of refugees can be critically compared with that of other migrants. An analytical framework is suggested which focuses on the receipt and evaluation of information about prospective destinations in the decision-making process. It is tested in the context of Mozambican refugees in Malawi in 1992 and 1993. Analysis shows that this framework achieves a qualified success in explaining the patterns and processes of migration of the study population, and suggests broader applications for the framework."