In The News

Perceptions of Migration Clash With Reality, Report Finds

Caroline Brothers December 27, 2011
A global migration report outlines the distorted perceptions of immigrants and suggests that misinformation contributes to “harmful stereotypes, discrimination and xenophobia.” For example, the Italians in surveys assume that immigrants make up 25 percent of the population, when the true figure is 7 percent. Immigrants are wrongly scapegoated for unemployment, scarcity of public resources, crime...

Plugging the Brain Drain

Huang Shaojie December 5, 2011
A tough stance on immigration in the US could play into China’s hands and keep more talented Chinese workers at home. “The US quota system for skilled worker immigrants provides a maximum of 9800 ‘green cards’ a year to citizens of any one nation,” reports Huang Shaojie of China’s Global Times. More than 100,000 Chinese students study in the US, and of course, the quota system puts the world’s...

Herr and Madame, Señor and Mrs.

November 28, 2011
Trends in international marriages reveal larger trends in globalization, migration as well as public policy. Cross-border marriages are on the rise, yet reliable statistics on cross-border unions are hard to find, since all countries don’t routinely collect data on citizenship of couples. The International Union for the Scientific Study of Population has launched a comprehensive study on cross-...

The Magic of Diasporas

November 23, 2011
Citizens in troubled economies like the US and Europe are increasingly lashing out against immigration. Such blame is misplaced. Fears about depressed wages, stretched benefit programs and brain drain are exaggerated, suggests this article in the Economist, and governments must do a better job of educating voters about “the growing economic importance of diasporas, and the contribution they can...

Foreign Workers Welcome, But No Permanent Residents, Please

Philip Bowring November 11, 2011
With rapid economic growth comes the need for new sources of labor, particularly for jobs that citizens no longer care to do. So, wealthy places like Hong Kong or Singapore turn to Bangladesh, the Philippines and other neighboring states for temporary migrant help, unskilled or low-skilled, in households, restaurants or construction sites. In particular, temporary immigration is on the rise, and...

Technology Boosts Bangladesh Migrant Job Search

Anbarasan Ethirajan November 9, 2011
The Bangladeshi government has turned to technology to assist its citizens in looking for jobs overseas. Any worker can now post his or her resume, national identification and passport details on a government website portal, which can then be viewed by foreign employers. This process reduces transaction costs related to attaining jobs overseas, particularly payoffs to corrupt middlemen, and rural...

Greeks Seek to Escape Debt Crisis Abroad

Ingrid Melander November 3, 2011
Governments that dawdle in resolving economic crisis – or impose unfair taxes or cuts – could lose their smartest, most skilled citizens. As Greece’s debt crisis rocks the European Union, thousands of young and skilled workers are emigrating, reports Ingrid Melander for Reuters. Nonprofit aid organizations for the Greek diaspora are swamped with aid requests, she adds. Greeks are furious about...