Population change and migration featured in many news events during this 2011 summer. This issue looks at some of these and brings you up-to-date reports on some of your textbook's case studies.

The changing balance of the Mexico to USA migration

The migration of young Mexicans to the USA, hoping to find work and a better way of life, has been taking place for almost a century. Millions of people have attempted the crossing both legally and illegally. At the end of the 20th century the migration reached 'epidemic' numbers with hundreds of thousands attempting the crossing in the border each year, usually at night and at great risk of losing any money they have, personal injury from dangerous environment and also capture by the USA border patrols leading to deportation back to Mexico.

The case study of the Mexico to USA, is easy to understand because a rich and attractive nation has a border with a much less-economically-developed country with a rapidly growing population.

It has become one of the most used migration case studies in Welsh schools. This Year's A level students were still choosing it as their preferred case study in the summer exams, but were they correct to be still using it?

But what was the pull towards the USA? What has changed? See some of the push and pull factors below.