Barbara Jancewicz
25 Jan 2017, 12:17 PM
Chapters 3 › For good or ill. The economic impact of refugees: SCROLL DOWN FOR INSTRUCTIONS View instructions Hide instructions

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This article from The Economist puts the finger on the painful question of the "economic cost" of hosting refugees.
Read the article and comment on the European experiences in this respect in your journal.
You can also comment on what others have done in their own journals!

Refugees and the economy

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The presented article is very optimistic. It recalls only two studies claiming they prove that the effect on wages is small, the existence of such an effect is undeniable (and in line with the economic theory). What is more, migrants change the labour market, so the natives are forced to adjust to the new conditions, which has its psychological cost, even if in the end natives have the same job or a slightly better one.

We cannot estimate the welfare cost of migrants in any reasonable way, so suggesting it’s going to be small is simply misleading. Omitting the matter of cultural integration of migrants is also misleading.

I think we should admit refugees, because it’s the right thing to do. However, I think that writing about this in a misleading way causes readers to mistrust the author and his conclusions.

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