在面對跨界移民的都市現象上，長於結構分析的政治經濟學與對文化細膩描繪的都市民族誌是否可能擺脫彼此互相誤解的過往，而進行有意義的理論對話？筆者藉由莎珊（Saskia Sassen）的《勞動與資本的流動》及紐曼（Katherine Newman）的《無憾的賽局》指出：政治經濟學從生產國際化的角度出發，看到了新興工業國伴隨著經濟成長後出現的移民潮，而工業先進國同時興趣的全球城市架構伴隨著擴張的都市服務業部門吸納了這些新興工業國的新移民。都市民族誌則看到了這些新移民（及其第二代）在相對惡劣的社會條件下怎樣藉由低薪資的勞動工作，試圖掌握自己的人生方向。他們有限的生命選擇，儘管缺乏翻轉結構的可能，卻閃耀著未曾放棄希望的光彩。

　　　　　Dealing with the issue of international immigration in global cities, political economy, unlike urban ethnography's approach of culture, always analyses this phenomena with the perspective of structure of class relationships, state regulation, and capital flow. Saskia Sassen argues that the power of internationalization of production on the one hand increases the FDI to those newly industrial countries, on the other transforms the social structure of employees and stimulates the phenomena of emigration to developed countries. At the same time, the sector of lower-income services offers lots of job opporturnies to these international immigrations in the global cities which have gradually appeared since 1980's. Otherwise, Newman argues the meaning of this kind of lower-income services is not only for the pursuit of the money, but also for the hope of an positive life and withdraw from drug and crime in the street. Although it's impossible to adjust this exploitative structure, these jobs encourage people to behave positively and offer some latitude for choice.