Exploring the spatial relatedness network of the global system of international migration

The global geography of international migration has a complex pattern that emerges from the distinct spatial distributions of many individual migrant groups. To visualise this structure, we use the spatial relatedness network of the global international migration system. Unlike traditional spatial networks based on real spatial interactions, spatial relatedness networks are based on possible relationships which are determined as a degree of agreement between the maps of the analysed phenomena. In this paper, the spatial relatedness network of the global migration system is conceptualised as an undirected network in which nodes represent individual migrant groups defined by the country of origin, and links between nodes correspond to their spatial relatedness in terms of similarity in their spatial distributions. We describe the construction of the network and explore some of its properties such as the clustering of migrant groups that share similar positions in the global migration system, signifying distinct spatial regimes of migrants’ destination choices.

国际移民的全球地理格局呈现出复杂的分布模式，该模式源于诸多单个移民群体各自独特的空间分布特征。为可视化呈现这一结构，本文采用全球国际移民系统的空间关联网络（spatial relatedness network）。与基于真实空间交互的传统空间网络不同，空间关联网络以潜在关联为构建基础，这类关联由待分析现象的空间分布图谱之间的契合程度所确定。本文将全球移民系统的空间关联网络定义为无向网络（undirected network）：其中节点代表以来源国界定的单个移民群体，节点间的连边则对应二者在空间分布相似性上体现的空间关联程度。本文阐述了该网络的构建方法，并探究了其若干特性——例如在全球移民系统中占据相似位置的移民群体的聚类现象，这类聚类表征了移民目的地选择的差异化空间模式。