In The News

The Hub Nation

April 28, 2010
The US attracts one of the highest rates of immigrants in the world and this trend has important benefits for the country. Immigrants are tied to networks with their own countrymen, which facilitates economic growth. While modern technology allows for instantaneous global communication, it is often only immigrants who know the right people to call. They have pre-established trust relationships,...

The Caribbean Brain Drain: Nursing a Grievance

April 12, 2010
According to the World Bank, only one-quarter of nurses in the English-speaking Caribbean remain working in their countries. The rest leaves to work abroad, where working and living conditions are significantly better. The economic incentives of working abroad outweigh the challenges of staying. This is not a new phenomenon: it has been taking place for almost two centuries and is not confined to...

International Adoption: A Big Fix Brings Dramatic Decline

Scott Baldauf, Sarah E. Burton, Ezra Fieser, Kathie Klarreich, Fred Weir March 26, 2010
In recent years, increased publicity has both heightened demand for adoption and exposed the sometimes-dark underbelly of international adoption agencies. The ongoing case of American missionaries accused of trafficking children in quake-stricken Haiti serves as a prime example of the shadier side of an often unregulated industry prone to corruption. Overall, the trend is for adoption hubs like...

Canada's Veiled Immigration Problems

Sandro Contenta March 24, 2010
As with France's decision to ban the niqab or Muslim headscarf, a recent row in Quebec over the wearing of the veil in a government French class has elicited strong reactions from the public. Despite being worn by only the smallest minority of Muslim women, the veil often represents for Westerners their uncertainty toward relations with the Islamic world. In Quebec, where identity is...

Anti-Immigration Backlash Roils Ties between Australia and India – Part I

Robin Jeffrey March 5, 2010
Despite being a nation built by immigrants, Australia faces fresh challenges in dealing with new arrivals, particularly from India. The recent spate of violent attacks on Indian immigrants has brought a spotlight on the changing nature of migration from Asian neighbors and its impact on Australian society. In part I of this two part series, South Asia scholar Robin Jeffrey explores the reason...

New Thai Immigration Rules Come Under Fire

Patrick Barta March 3, 2010
In Thailand, tensions are mounting as the state has introduced a more rigorous registration process for foreigners that includes proving one's home country. Around half of the country's 1.5 million migrant laborers have refused to come forward to register, which human rights activists reason is due to Thailand's history of immigrant abuse and a fear of retribution. On the other...

Animosity Against English Teachers in Seoul

Jiyeon Lee February 9, 2010
Foreign English teachers in South Korea are coming under attack. The group “Citizens of Right Education” was formed to rid South Korea of unqualified foreign English teachers, involved in criminal or scandalous activities. Meanwhile, the Association for Teachers of English in Korea (ATEK) claims that English teachers have been vilified in the news, frequently presented as being involved in sexual...