What a refugee camp reveals about economics
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What a refugee camp reveals about economics
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Re: What a refugee camp reveals about economics
#2Re: What a refugee camp reveals about economics
#3Hard not to believe Malawi would have a bigger economic upside from liberalising working rights and providing a pathway to citizenship.
Re: What a refugee camp reveals about economics
#4Hard not to believe Malawi would have a bigger economic upside from liberalising working rights and providing a pathway to citizenship.
From my experience with people who’ve spent years over there, there isn’t much desire for refugees to stay and become citizens. They are perceived by the voting public as competing for jobs. Jobs are perceived as scarce.
It is politically far more popular to run on a platform of getting rid of refugees and refugee camps.
There is also a very widespread perception that refugee camps are about making money for corrupt politicians and contractors, and that the UN or America or the EU or something is paying a lot of money and pays per head. So the public feels that more refugees = more corrupt money lining politicians’ pockets.
Against this context, there is no political future for “liberalising working rights” and “providing a path to citizenship”.
Re: What a refugee camp reveals about economics
#5[deleted]
Re: What a refugee camp reveals about economics
#6[deleted]
Re: What a refugee camp reveals about economics
#7Hard not to believe Malawi would have a bigger economic upside from liberalising working rights and providing a pathway to citizenship.
From my experience with people who’ve spent years over there, there isn’t much desire for refugees to stay and become citizens. They are perceived by the voting public as competing for jobs. Jobs are perceived as scarce. It is politically far more popular to run on a platform of getting rid of refugees and refugee camps. There is also a very widespread perception that refugee camps are about making money for corrupt…
Same story everywhere, sadly.
Re: What a refugee camp reveals about economics
#8Hard not to believe Malawi would have a bigger economic upside from liberalising working rights and providing a pathway to citizenship.
From my experience with people who’ve spent years over there, there isn’t much desire for refugees to stay and become citizens. They are perceived by the voting public as competing for jobs. Jobs are perceived as scarce. It is politically far more popular to run on a platform of getting rid of refugees and refugee camps. There is also a very widespread perception that refugee camps are about making money for corrupt…
Even though making refuges citizens would mean that money dries up.
Of course I've long been in the minority that thinks the US should have unlimited immigration.
Re: What a refugee camp reveals about economics
#9Hard not to believe Malawi would have a bigger economic upside from liberalising working rights and providing a pathway to citizenship.
Malawi doesn't have a functioning economy. It has a nominal GDP per capita of $464. It is heavily indebted and reliant on international aid. 80% of the population rely on subsistence farming and 70% live on less than $1.90 per day.
Giving those refugees citizenship just means more mouths to feed; if they remain as refugees, then they're the UN's problem.
Re: What a refugee camp reveals about economics
#10Hard not to believe Malawi would have a bigger economic upside from liberalising working rights and providing a pathway to citizenship.
From my experience with people who’ve spent years over there, there isn’t much desire for refugees to stay and become citizens. They are perceived by the voting public as competing for jobs. Jobs are perceived as scarce. It is politically far more popular to run on a platform of getting rid of refugees and refugee camps. There is also a very widespread perception that refugee camps are about making money for corrupt…
>There is also a very widespread perception that refugee camps are about making money for corrupt politicians and contractors
Even though that isn't what refugee camps are "about" it's something that happens pretty regularly.