Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 June 2003
Many multilateral efforts have unfolded since the 1990s with the objective of discussing the improvement of migration regulations. Can these efforts be conceived as the sign that the sovereignty of the nation-state is eroding? The fact that states remain in control of many dimensions of migration policies invites a cautionary answer. An alternative interpretation consists in comprehending these efforts as conditioning a new world migration order. The article presents these efforts in order to discuss their underlying economic and political priorities, as well as the power relations involved. Some of the most important consequences of this transformation are then discussed.