Refugees, Economic Migration and the Future of the World Economy

In the 1990s, the advanced economics appeared no longer self-sufficient in labour supplies. Without permanent mechanisms to recruit workers (or students) from the rest of the world, economic growth could be threatened - or the labour force would be overwhelmed by foreign workers working illegally. In the late 1990s, the inflow of irregular migrants - to meet strong labour demand - reached levels that wrecked the refugee system. In the popular mind, the adjective "bogus" became indissolubly cemented to the noun "asylum-seeker". The intelligentsia is most often a primary target for assault when social orders break down. Its social role is so fundamental for society, and yet depends on transferring culture and skills into each society, that authoritarian governments must control it or liquidate it. The breakdown in the refugee system is, as a consequence, a catastrophe for academic refugees. CARA is one of the few organisations devoted to helping them in flight.

Download the lecture

Full video, text and audio of the lecture are available here.