Paper short abstract:

This paper challenges the securitisation of migration in development, arguing that mobility is an embedded social phenomenon rather than crisis. Drawing on theoretical advances and case studies, we demonstrate how security framings obscure migration's transformative role in development.

Paper long abstract:

Migration is increasingly framed through a securitisation lens, portraying human mobility as a destabilising force, particularly in the context of climate change and sustainable development. This paper challenges dominant crisis narratives by examining how security-oriented framings restrict understanding of migration’s role in development processes. Drawing on recent evidence and theoretical advances, it reframes migration as an embedded social phenomenon shaped by individual capabilities, aspirations, and intersecting socio-economic and environmental pressures, rather than simply a reactive response to crises. The analysis critiques securitisation discourses, which rely on alarming displacement projections and economic cost narratives, leading to restrictive policies that marginalise migrants and overlook their contributions to sustainable development. Instead, migration is presented as a continuum, encompassing forced displacement, proactive adaptation strategies, and voluntary immobility, each reflecting agency and resilience. Utilising case studies from the sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the paper highlights migration’s transformative potential, demonstrating how it drives demographic shifts, economic diversification, and resource redistribution in both origin and destination areas. It also emphasises the significance of immobility as a deliberate choice, challenging assumptions that vulnerable populations inevitably seek to leave risky areas. By moving beyond securitisation, this paper argues for a reframing of migration as an ordinary and constructive aspect of social and economic transformation. It calls for development policies that support both mobility and immobility while enhancing migrants’ capacities to contribute to sustainable development outcomes.