The process of internal movement in Solomon Islands: The case of Malaita, 1978-1986

Migration, one of the three components of population change, has become an increasing focus of research and policy development in many third world countries. Internal and international movements exert varying degrees of influence on specific countries or regions, depending on a mix of political, social, economic and environmental factors. The internal movement of Solomon Islanders is more visible and increasingly far more important than external movements, which more often than not are for educational purposes. In the third world, internal migration is strongly associated with rural-to-urban drift. However, this process involves a number of different movement streams, characterized by varying patterns and processes associated with various socioeconomic factors in places of both origin and destination (Pryor, 1975).