The impact of the economic crisis on migrations flows between Italy and North Africa

Understanding the impact of the current economic crisis on migration flows is not a trivial issue due to the interplay of several determinants. So far, there is little statistical evidence on the nature and magnitude of this impact and only hypotheses and scenarios can be advanced. This paper aims to fill this gap by trying to assess the effects of the crisis on migration flows between North African countries and Italy. By using up-to-date empirical data and statistics, we find evidence of a twofold trend during 2008: 1) labour migration flows have slightly decreased; 2) undocumented migration has instead increased. Beyond economic factors, several explanations are provided to describe these dynamics. Finally, policy implications and potential solutions are discussed, by focusing in particular on the role of circular migrations.