The present international migration system is failing to respond to the new challenges and opportunities that movements of people now present. Rising levels of migration and its increasingly complex pattern–marked by economic globalisation, a widening variety of source countries and unpredictable and intense flows–is making migration management more and more difficult.

Fears have been expressed that a breakdown of the migration system, already under heavy strain, could spell political and economic disaster, creating in its wake a major setback in human progress. Not surprisingly, there have been calls in recent years for the establishment of a more robust and comprehensive multilateral framework to help revamp the present fragmentary and predominantly reactive arrangements. But little systematic work has been done to develop this idea. The study takes up this challenge.

In this ground-breaking study, the issues and prospects of a multilateral response to the challenge of movements of people is explored. It presents, within a single, cohesive framework, the views, perceptions, and critical analyses of a group of eminent specialists drawn from different disciplines but with an in-depth knowledge of migration issues. It argues, that if a co-ordinated multilateral response is indeed necessary, what should be its exact configuration? In addressing this critical question, the book introduces the concept of an internationally harmonized migration regime, based on the principle of regulated openness - commonalty of policy objectives, harmonized normative principles and co-ordinated institutional arrangements.