The second part of our series on this crucial issue
The migration of peoples has become the dominant political and social issue of the early decades of our century, and is likely to remain so for decades. We ‘ll look later at how immigration has worked out (for example in nations such as the US and Australia) Today: why do they do it?
There’s a vast reading-base on the subject, and we’ve chosen this link [1] purely because of its brevity. People migrate to look for better conditions. There is movement and settlement among richer nations; but the overwhelming bulk of immigrants come from poorer countries, and it’s in search of work. Money, in fact. Just as loose capital is attracted to new ventures in search of higher returns, so this human capital invests itself, often at great personal risk. The rewards are often much lower too. The fact that transport and communications have become so much faster in the last hundred years has made the phenomenon more acute. But the fact remains: people move, like ions in an electric field from the negative (poverty, oppression) to the positive (freedom, prosperity). Capitalism in action in its rawest, most basic sense.
We will also look at attempts to control this movement. We think in the long run all will be futile, except one: level the field. Reduce poverty, improve education and services in poor countries, and the incentive to move will largely disappear. We will also be looking at how that can be done too. The results may surprise.
[1]https://www.lirs.org/causes-of-immigration/
#immigration #emigration #migration #capitalism #labour
Learning, Science and Society 