Spatial variation in migration processes and development: a Costa Rican example of conventional modeling augmented by the expansion method.

The ways in which migration and development have been linked in previous research in Third World settings are reviewed. Intercantonal migration in Costa Rica is analyzed, first in terms of a conventional model and then in terms of a paradigm of migration that focuses on place-to-place variations in development milieu. The results show there is spatial variation in the role of most variables and that these variations follow a reasonably consistent pattern with regard to development conditions. A series of maps graphically illustrates the importance of a spatial frame of reference.