Migrant Workers Are More Than 'Tools' for Economic Growth (The Guardian)
The Guardian mentioned Michael Clemens comments on migration and development in a Guardian blog post on Migrant Workers.
From the Article:
Last December, the Centre for Global Development's Michael Clemens argued that labour migration was "the biggest idea in development that no one really tried". More recently, David McKenzie, a senior economist at the World Bank, proclaimed migration – and particularly temporary seasonal and guest worker programmes – "the most effective development intervention we have evidence for".
Comparing returns from popular development interventions like microfinance and conditional cash transfers, McKenzie finds dramatically higher gains in household well-being from New Zealand's seasonal worker programme, which he promotes as a politically viable model for leveraging the development potential of migration at a time marked by increasing restrictions.
The fact that remittance flows have so dramatically outpaced levels of aid has led many to suggest that people themselves are better and more reliable development fundraisers than states. Accordingly, much of the debate around migration has centered around initiatives to better leverage remittances so that these largely private cash flows to families and friends at home can help drive broader economic development. This often means things like improving access to saving and credit and developing an environment (and ethos) favourable to investment and entrepreneurship.
But the weak state of international protections for migrant workers, combined with persistent abuse and exploitation, is a reminder that evaluating the development potential of migration means looking at more than dollar figures for remittance flows – it is important to understand, for example, the conditions under which people emigrate and the conditions under which they work. Migrants, after all, are first and foremost humans with rights – not tools for economic growth.
