Contenu du sommaire : La migration des emplois vers le Sud

Job creation by direct foreign investment in Morocco: a limited contribution to reduction of unemployment and migratory flows. Since the 1990s, the countries of the South have been starting to adopt policies of communication and strategies to attract foreign investments. Such investments were deemed to contribute to the development of their economies and to help solve population – and employment-related problems. The scope and impact of foreign investments on employment remain limited, in spite of the strong efforts made by these countries, including Morocco, in running communication programmes and investment promotion campaigns and despite a series of reforms initiated in the diverse fields and sectors of the economy. This is particularly true with regard to the migratory flow of Moroccans who leave the country to live and work in the industrialized countries. This article examines the impact of direct foreign investments in Morocco on job creation and the recent trends in emigration.

Job drain versus brain drain: two sides of the same coin?
Following the lively controversy during the USA presidential election campaign over relocation of jobs in the service sector, India has found itself in the front line in the battle for employment between the industrialized countries and the countries of the South. Whereas in India, the government is starting to celebrate the return of some of its talented people, it has been accused of encouraging the exodus of jobs from the United States. Analysis of this migration of work should closely examine the context of the phenomenon in order to capture the major issues involved for countries of both North and South. Study of the development of new technology between the two countries allows comparison of current representations regarding this question and links to be made with the previous stage, the exodus of brain-power and the building-up of a model Indian community. Starting from this case, and broadening it to cover the overall category of knowledge-based workers, the dangers can be brought out of the new migration regime that is emerging, masked by the arguments used about the draining away of jobs.

Job migration in Mauritius: the textile industry and ICT. In 1970, Mauritius created a free industrial zone in order to release its economy from a complete dependency on the sugar production monoculture. This venture was dominated by textiles. It was highly successful, as it became, in ten years, one of the major elements of the economy, succeeding even in bringing down unemployment. This situation of full employment was to lead to a rise in salaries which in the end jeopardized the competitiveness of the sector. Combined with this trend was the complete opening up of the textile industry to the free market in the context of WTO measures which dismantled the multi-fibre agreement (1 January 2005). The latter convention had, since 1974, protected Mauritian textiles from Asian competition whose exports to Europe were restricted by quotas. Therefore Mauritius, formerly a choice country for foreign company emplacements, now sees such firms “emigrating” to China and India to take advantage of a cheaper workforce than can be found on the island. In order to alleviate the difficulties, not only of textiles but also of sugar, hit by the forthcoming abolition of the Lomé convention sugar protocol, the government is developing new information and communication technologies (ICT). The hope is that in this way it can create jobs for young Mauritians, ever-increasing numbers of whom are coming out with qualifications from secondary education and universities. The gamble is a bold one because there is no guarantee of success.

Direct foreign investments, globalization and employment in Vietnam
Vietnam's economic growth has been particularly strong over the past ten years. Other countries of the South with which Vietnam is in direct competition often see it as a threat, in terms of exports and with regard to attracting foreign investments. Industrialized countries too are concerned because they see it as a favoured destination for industrial relocation because of its less costly workforce. Running debates are taking place in industrialized countries about the impact of relocations on employment, on working status and the protection of pay structures. In the light of this context, this article examines the scope and nature of the effects of direct foreign investments and international integration on employment in Vietnam indicated by recent trends in job creation, work contracts, pay, recruitment, and training in the companies operating in Vietnam, focusing on companies with foreign capital.

NGO networks and governance in the Amazon region
The environmental NGOs in the Amazon region have, for the past 15 years, been organizing themselves into networks, in order to carry more weight when public policies are being defined. Essentially, it is a question of creating channels for expressing positions collectively that are difficult to take on individually. However, although this network building is the way towards a harnessing of the political dimension of the NGOs, many networks are as much the fruit of spontaneous rallying together as responses to calls for tender issued by international sponsors. What is needed is an appreciation of the range of ways these networks exert their influence on regional governance. The first part of the article deals with the dynamics of governance in the Amazon Basin. Study of the background to actions carried out and the organizations and institutions involved in treating questions with social and environmental implications sheds new light on recent changes in the determination of regional public policies. The second part shows the difficulties encountered in positioning NGO networks, and focuses especially on their internal organization and on their contribution to the market for development.

“Good governance” put to the test in local situations
In Mali, the close association being made between decentralization as an element of “good governance” and participatory projects in natural resources management is leading to a model of “good governance of resources” that is apparently destined to replace or complement the village-based organization of access to resources. An un-monitored attempt of a project to apply this concept has been confronted with its incompatibility with the underlying political models. The project cannot contribute to the establishment of a public space for communicating and negotiating the rules if it does not take into account the characteristics of the local society and if it works according to stereotyped interpretation models and pre-established solutions. Unless such aspects are considered, it will tend to reinforce authoritarian political relationships, and to favour the emergence of new opportunist behaviour.

The instrumentalization of the NGOs in Mexico in Indian and non-Indian affairs
Government action in Mexico has opened out to the world of the associations concerned with natural resources management. It emerges that the NGOs' involvement falls in with the traditional political tactic of bringing them into line. This is shown by examination of two environmental crises, one in the context of Indian affairs, one of non-Indian affairs. At local level, the NGOs are instrumentalized in spite of their declared non-political stance. Nevertheless, their effectiveness at global level results from a pincer effect from their intervention in the field right up to their passionate advocacy on the international scene. Consequently, the NGO's domain of effectiveness and therefore the way they define themselves are not restricted to local actions. They operate in a vertical set-up which entails the mutual instrumentalization with the politicians and a tussle with them to win over public opinion as the legitimate force. The question that arises therefore concerns the non-political stand that the NGOs display. The paper attempts to delimit a political dimension these organizations take on, without in any way repudiating the image of non-political purity NGOs have in the eyes of the public.

Conflict in team colours. Geopolitical issues in the naturalization of African sports talents
The geopolitical implications of the process of naturalization of sports men and women and of integration of double-nationality footballers in national squads are examined. A high degree of inequality influences the attendant power struggles between the rich European or Persian Gulf states and the poor countries of Africa. Various examples illustrate the issues underlying the changes of nationality undertaken by African sports talents to the benefit of countries able to offer a better living. It transpires that although African countries do not submit passively to this kind of “muscle drain”, they end up losing out in the struggle between the different States to grab hold of the best sporting talents.

Negotiated risk. Conflicts and adjustments around the reconstruction of Vargas (Venezuela) Ethnographic material collected from Vargas (Venezuela) after the catastrophic mudslides of 1999, was the basis for examination of the emergence, communication and usages of the notion of risk in a post-disaster situation. The objective was to gain an understanding of the issues involved in the reconstruction and of the different representations that the people concerned make of risk. To do that, the study investigated perceptions each in turn of inhabitants, a neighbourhood association and an institution responsible for reconstruction.