9406448 ROSEMAN International contract labor migration is an important source of currency for developing countries as well as an important source of labor for capital-rich but labor-short countries. The purpose of this project is to examine the mechanisms involved in the production and transmission of opportunities for such migration in one of the world's largest exporters of labor, the Philippines. Opportunities for labor migration are produced through institutional actions in the form of emigration policies at the national level and then transmitted to communities and individuals through recruiting agencies, mass media sources, and social networks. The research will be based largely on structured interviews, undertaken in the Philippines, of key individuals in government, umbrella organizations, and private recruitment agencies. This information will be supplemented with secondary information collected in the Philippines which will be used to further explain the production and transmission of overseas opportunities. This research will make significant contributions to our understanding of the international migration of contract labor, an important source of contact between developing and developed countries and an important source of capital for developing countries. As a doctoral dissertation research improvement award, this award will also provide support to enable a promising srudent to establish a strong independent research career. ***
