Meet Hein de Haas and His New Publication

Dr. Hein de Haas is a sociologist and geographer who has held senior positions at the universities of Oxford and Amsterdam. His new book bears the provocative title How Migration Really Works: The Facts about the Most Divisive Issue in Politics (Viking, 2023).

About his new book

Since the Second World War, according to a long-term study of data from 45 countries by de Haas and his colleagues, immigration policies have tended to become more liberal. At the same time, border defenses, whether walls, surveillance, or campaigns against migrant smuggling, have intensified. The author argues that this paradox exists because Western governments, committed to forms of economic liberalism, have tried to balance three irreconcilable demands. One is to remain open to global markets, which requires a degree of immigration to fill domestic skill gaps. Another is to protect the rights of migrants who arrive to work, study, or settle. A third is to respect the wishes of citizens who want to see immigration limited or even reduced.

What is the problem?

The problem is that only two of the three can be fulfilled at any given time. Limiting migrants' rights to work or settle can disrupt the economy. On the other hand, advocating open borders is seen as political suicide. As a result, most governments opt for symbolic restrictions, often harmful and counterproductive, on certain types of immigration. In de Haas's words, these are "bold acts of political circus that conceal the true nature of migration policies."

A consistent approach

The author argues that this approach is consistent across governments of both the left and the right. But it has left behind a toxic political debate with participants segregated into pro- or anti-migrant camps, which prevents us from seeing migration as it really is. Drawing on years of research, How Migration Really Works is a clear and rigorous review of these distortions that aims to give readers the tools for a deeper debate.

The main finding is to view migration as a global phenomenon, not only from the perspective of Western countries receiving migrants from elsewhere. Although media coverage often gives the impression that we are living in an unprecedented age of migration, in which impoverished masses are heading west, this is not the case. Since the Second World War, global migration levels have stabilized, with international migrants making up 3 percent of the world's population. Refugees represent a minimal share, 0.3 percent. This is a fact that de Haas suggests should make us cautious when defenders of refugees invoke a "global refugee crisis." More people are moving west from a wider range of countries, and that does represent a shift, as the author acknowledges. But it is neither unprecedented nor out of control. In the United States, for example, immigrants make up around 14 percent of the population, more or less the same as a century ago. Nor are the poorest people the ones who leave home. In general, emigration is a result of economic development, insofar as populations gain the education and means to move in response to overseas job opportunities.

Toward the normalization of migration

Another part of the book's argument is that we must stop thinking about migration in terms of costs and benefits. While immigration helps fill labor gaps, it has little overall impact on labor markets, and the gains flow mostly to employers. Remittances may help sustain communities in countries of origin, but their benefits are offset by the costs migrants incurred in leaving home. The social and political issues migration raises, concerning labor rights, economic priorities, or national identity, are matters that concern all of us. He sums it up this way: "Any real debate about migration will inevitably be a debate about the kind of society we want to live in."