Analysis of the Rural-Urban Migration flow in Algeria Using the model of Harris Todaro

Abstract

This study is a participation to examine the rural-urban migration flows in Algeria using Harris and Todaro model that focus on the economic factors, especially the difference of wages and the job opportunities.

The available data shows that the rural-urban migration in Algeria responds to the difference on wage level, because the wages on urban areas were always higher. However, it is important to take into consideration the historical background during the colonial period and the 10 years the political instability during the 1990s that have had accelerated the movement of the population.

It is also worth mentioning that, despite the policies adopted for objective to redistribute the population, the population is always concentrated on the north part, which lead to the development of shantytowns around major cities, especially the capital Algiers.