Exodus: How Migration Is Changing Our World

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Exodus: How Migration Is Changing Our World
Exodus How Migration Is Changing Our World.jpg
Cover of the first edition
Author Paul Collier
LanguageEnglish
Subjects Immigration, politics
Publisher Oxford University Press
Publication date
October 1, 2013
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages309
ISBN 978-0195398656

Exodus: How Migration is Changing Our World (titled Exodus: Immigration and Multiculturalism in the 21st Century for its UK release) is a 2013 book by the development economist Paul Collier about the way migration affects migrants as well as the countries that send and receive the migrants, and the implications this has for development economics and the quest to end poverty. It was published by Oxford University Press. [1] Collier's book focuses on the challenges posed by the nexus of immigration and multiculturalism, and also claims that brain drain is one of the main, often overlooked, drawbacks of migration. [2] According to Colin Kidd, Collier argues that Western immigration policy has been driven not by reason, but by emotional responses to postcolonial Western guilt "while stifling consideration of wider problems of global poverty." [3]

Reception

Writing for The Guardian , Colin Kidd called the book "a humane and sensible voice in a highly toxic debate." [4] Ian Birrell also reviewed the book for The Guardian , writing: "Given the evidence, Paul Collier's lively study of mass migration paints a curiously bleak picture of the future." [5] Rupert Edis reviewed the book for The Telegraph , calling it "[a] frank dissection of the costs and benefits of immigration." [6] David Goodhart reviewed the book for The Sunday Times , calling it a "hard-headed book that assesses the effect of the brain drain from poor countries to richer ones." [7] Melanie McDonagh reviewed the book for The Spectator . [2]

Robert Putnam, Malkin Professor of Public Policy, Harvard University reviewed the book saying: "Magisterial. Paul Collier offers a comprehensive, incisive, and well-written balance sheet of the pros and cons of immigration for receiving societies, sending societies, and migrants themselves. For everyone on every side of this contentious issue, Exodus is a must-read." [8]

Robert Zoellick, former President of the World Bank Group, U.S. Trade Representative, and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, praised the book as a "true achievement" and wrote that Collier addressed "taboo topics to straightforward questions that most other scholars shrink from asking." [8]

Ravi Mattu reviewed the book for Financial Times , concluding by writing: "Prof Collier's is a voice to which it is worth paying attention. His book could be better written but this grandson of an immigrant is asking important questions about one of the world's most pressing issues." [9] A review of the book was also published in The Economist , concluding with the statement: "the tone of “Exodus” is problematic. Mr Collier finds endless objections to a policy—more or less unlimited immigration—that no country has adopted. In the process, he exaggerates the possible risks of mobility and underplays its proven benefits." [10]

British commentator Kenan Malik reviewed the book in The Independent . [11]

Michael Clemens and Justin Sandefur of the Center for Global Development (a Washington D.C.–based think tank) reviewed the book for the January/February 2014 issue of Foreign Affairs . They noted that many of Collier's conclusions were unsupported by research, and concluded as follows: "Collier laments the fact that the immigration debate has been marked by “high emotion and little knowledge.” That is true, yet Exodus exemplifies the problem. This book could have seriously engaged with the large literature on immigration and helped people without Collier's training and position think through the complexities of the issue. Instead, Collier has written a text mortally wounded by incoherence, error, and overconfident leaps to baseless conclusions." [12]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diaspora</span> Widely scattered population from a single original territory

A diaspora is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of origin. The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently reside elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Australia policy</span> Historical racial policies in Australia

The White Australia policy was a set of racial policies that aimed to forbid people of non-European ethnic origins – especially Asians and Pacific Islanders – from immigrating to Australia in order to create a "white/British" ideal focused on but not exclusively Anglo-Celtic peoples. Pre-Federation, the Australian colonies passed many anti-Chinese immigration laws mainly using Poll Taxes, with Federation in 1901 came discrimination based on the Dictation Test, which effectively gave power to immigration officials to racially discriminate without mentioning race. The policy also affected immigrants from Germany, Italy, and other European countries, especially in wartime. Governments progressively dismantled such policies between 1949 and 1973, when the Whitlam government removed the last racial elements of Australia's immigration laws.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human capital flight</span> Emigration of highly skilled or well-educated individuals

Human capital flight is the emigration or immigration of individuals who have received advanced training in their home country. The net benefits of human capital flight for the receiving country are sometimes referred to as a "brain gain" whereas the net costs for the sending country are sometimes referred to as a "brain drain". In occupations with a surplus of graduates, immigration of foreign-trained professionals can aggravate the underemployment of domestic graduates, whereas emigration from an area with a surplus of trained people leads to better opportunities for those remaining. But emigration may cause problems for the home country if the trained people are in short supply there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free migration</span> View that people may live in any country

Free migration or open immigration is the position that people should be able to migrate to whatever country they choose with few restrictions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immigration to Australia</span>

The Australian continent was first settled when ancestors of Indigenous Australians arrived via the islands of Maritime Southeast Asia and New Guinea over 50,000 years ago.

The immigration history of Australia began with the initial human migration to the continent around 80,000 years ago when the ancestors of Aboriginal Australians arrived on the continent via the islands of Maritime Southeast Asia and New Guinea. From the early 17th century onwards, the continent experienced the first coastal landings and exploration by European explorers. Permanent European settlement began in 1788 with the establishment of a British penal colony in New South Wales. From early federation in 1901, Australia maintained the White Australia Policy, which was abolished after World War II, heralding the modern era of multiculturalism in Australia. From the late 1970s there was a significant increase in immigration from Asian and other non-European countries.

Since 1945, immigration to the United Kingdom, controlled by British immigration law and to an extent by British nationality law, has been significant, in particular from the former territories of the British Empire and the European Union.

A skilled worker is any worker who has special skill, training, or knowledge which they can then apply to their work. A skilled worker may have learned their skills through work experience, on-the-job training, an apprenticeship program or formal education. These skills often lead to better outcomes economically. The definition of a skilled worker has seen change throughout the 20th century, largely due to the industrial impact of the Great Depression and World War II. Further changes in globalisation have seen this definition shift further in Western countries, with many jobs moving from manufacturing based sectors to more advanced technical and service based roles. Examples of formally educated skilled labor include engineers, scientists, doctors and teachers, while examples of less formally educated workers include crane operators, CDL truck drivers, machinists, drafters, plumbers, craftsmen, cooks and bookkeepers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immigration</span> Movement of people into another country or region to which they are not native

Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short-term stays in a destination country do not fall under the definition of immigration or migration; seasonal labour immigration is sometimes included, however.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Post-war immigration to Australia</span> Large-scale migration after WWII

Post-war immigration to Australia deals with migration to Australia in the decades immediately following World War II, and in particular refers to the predominantly European wave of immigration which occurred between 1945 and the end of the White Australia policy in 1973. In the immediate aftermath of World War II, Ben Chifley, Prime Minister of Australia (1945–1949), established the federal Department of Immigration to administer a large-scale immigration program. Chifley commissioned a report on the subject which found that Australia was in urgent need of a larger population for the purposes of defence and development and it recommended a 1% annual increase in population through increased immigration.

African immigrants in Europe are individuals residing in Europe who were born in Africa. This includes both individuals born in North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Opposition to immigration, also known as anti-immigration, is a political position that seeks to restrict immigration. In the modern sense, immigration refers to the entry of people from one state or territory into another state or territory in which they are not citizens. Illegal immigration occurs when people immigrate to a country without having official permission to do so. Opposition to immigration ranges from calls for various immigration reforms, to proposals to completely restrict immigration, to calls for repatriation of existing immigrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Collier</span> British development economist (born 1949)

Sir Paul Collier, is a British development economist who serves as the Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford and co-Director of the International Growth Centre. He is also a Professeur invité at Sciences Po and a Professorial Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford.

Brain circulation is the circular movement of skilled labour across nations.

Criticism of multiculturalism questions the ideal of the maintenance of distinct ethnic cultures within a country. Multiculturalism is a particular subject of debate in certain European nations that are associated with the idea of a nation state. Critics of multiculturalism may argue against cultural integration of different ethnic and cultural groups to the existing laws and values of the country. Alternatively critics may argue for assimilation of different ethnic and cultural groups to a single national identity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Multiculturalism in Australia</span> Feature of Australian society

Multiculturalism in Australia is today reflected by the multicultural composition of its people, its immigration policies, its prohibition on discrimination, equality before the law of all persons, as well as various cultural policies which promote diversity, such as the formation of the Special Broadcasting Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand Australians</span> Ethnic group

New Zealand Australians refers to Australian citizens whose origins are in New Zealand, as well as New Zealand migrants and expatriates based in Australia. Migration from New Zealand to Australia is a common phenomenon, given Australia's proximity to New Zealand, its larger economy, free movement agreement and cultural links between the two countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emigration from Africa</span> Overview of emigration from Africa

During the period of 1965 – 2021, an estimated 440,000 people per year emigrated from Africa; a total number of 17 million migrants within Africa was estimated for 2005. The figure of 0.44 million African emigrants per year pales in comparison to the annual population growth of about 2.6%, indicating that only about 2% of Africa's population growth is compensated for by emigration.

Cypriot Australians are Australian citizens of Cypriot descent or Cypriot born people who reside in Australia. Cypriots in Australia are the second largest Cypriot community outside of Cyprus and Greece. The cultural group is found throughout Australia, with a presence in all state capitals. According to the 2016 Australian Census, there were 28,000 people of Cypriot descent in Australia and 16,929 Cyprus-born people residing in the country at the moment of the census. As of 2014, there are over 80,000 people of Cypriot origin in Australia. Cypriot Australians have lived in Australia since the early 1850s, predominantly residing in Melbourne and Sydney. Since the beginning of the 21st century, education and employment levels of Cypriot Australian individuals have improved, becoming more similar to that of non migrant Australians. The culture and traditions of Cypriot Australians have been maintained overtime. Most Cypriot Australians are of Greek background. Many intermarry with other Greek Australians.

Panikos Panayi is a cultural historian known for his books on the social history of food, immigration, and inter-ethnic relations.

References

  1. Collier, Paul. Exodus: How Migration is Changing Our World. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0195398656.
  2. 1 2 McDonagh, Melanie (November 16, 2013). "The man who made it OK to talk about immigration: Paul Collier says the worst thing about immigration is that it impoverishes the nations that the migrants come from". The Spectator . Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  3. Kidd, Colin (September 19, 2013). "Exodus: Immigration and Multiculturalism in the 21st Century by Paul Collier – review". The Guardian. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  4. Kidd, Colin (September 19, 2013). "Exodus: Immigration and Multiculturalism in the 21st Century by Paul Collier – review: Is immigration advantageous, and for whom? Colin Kidd on a humane and sensible voice in a highly toxic debate". The Guardian . Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  5. Birrell, Ian (November 17, 2013). "Exodus: Immigration and Multiculturalism in the 21st Century by Paul Collier – review" . Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  6. Edis, Rupert (November 8, 2013). "Exodus by Paul Collier, review: A frank dissection of the costs and benefits of immigration". The Telegraph . Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  7. Goodhart, David (September 29, 2013). "Exodus: Immigration and Multiculturalism in the 21st Century by Paul Collier: A hard-headed book that assesses the effect of the brain drain from poor countries to richer ones. Review by David Goodhart". The Sunday Times . Archived from the original on January 19, 2016. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  8. 1 2 "Paul Collier". ox.ac.uk.
  9. Mattu, Ravi (October 27, 2013). "Exodus, by Paul Collier". Financial Times . Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  10. "Migration: The mobile masses: The costs and benefits of mass immigration". The Economist . September 28, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  11. Malik, Kenan (October 11, 2013). "Book review: Exodus: Immigration and Multiculturalism in the 21st Century, By Paul Collier". The Independent . Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  12. Clemens, Michael; Sandefur, Justin (January–February 2014). "Let the People Go: The Problem With Strict Migration Limits". Foreign Affairs . Retrieved January 14, 2014.