We are a nation of immigrants. I see my ancestors and yours as courageous and ambitious people who were willing to leave behind the familiar and risk everything to build a life in a new land.
In Borderless Economics, British business editor Robert Guest makes the case that everyone benefits from migration: the birth country, the destination country (typically the U.S.) and the immigrant. More than ever before, immigrants maintain close ties with their homeland, creating what Guest calls the diaspora network which connects ethnic communities.
Emigrants contribute to globalization – and America’s soft power- by funneling the best ideas back to their former home after adapting them to mesh with local customs. The brain drain from poor countries to rich ones helps the former, Guest explains. Remittances sent home by new immigrants raise the standard of living in the old country. These funds are much more effective than any foreign aid, because the money goes directly to the people who use it to pay school fees and open small businesses.
An entertaining, easy-to-read writer, Guest describes the people who personify the bridges between countries and the multiple impacts they have.
“In the battle against global poverty, the best weapon is the welcome mat,” Guest explains. The incentive of better jobs abroad prompts more people to get the education for those jobs. The Philippines, for example educate a huge number of nurses. While most leave, a significant number stay behind and increase the health level in their communities. Guest cites studies of Chinese and Indian immigrants which provide an enlightening perspective.
Because America’s immigrant pool is so large, it impacts every area of the world. And more trade follows migration as exiles crave products from their previous home.
“As birthrates fall, migration will become the primary determinant of how big each nation is,” Guest observes.
Unfortunately, the benefits of a young and dynamic population can be forestalled by visa restrictions on the highly talented who earn advanced degrees in the US but are not allowed to remain. The world’s favorite immigration destination can only benefit when individuals who want to work and get ahead have an easily accessible, legal pathway to do so.
For more of this story by Eileen Mattei, pick up a copy of the June edition of Valley Business Report, on news stands now, or visit the “Current & Past Issues” tab on this Web site.