Policy Paper 34: The Management of Intermational Migration: Short-term Dislocations Versus Long-term Benefits

This paper examines a specific, generally south to north migratory flow—that of economic migrants from poor nations to advanced market economy countries. Most economic analyses agree that economic migration—as distinct from refugee flows—generates economic benefits. However, the level of benefits generated by these flows vary depending upon the types of migrants accepted (McCarthy and Vernez 1997). Moreover, these economic benefits are unevenly distributed among the host population in the short-term (National Research Council 1997). This uneven distribution creates a public backlash and political demands for restricting migration. To maintain openness toward migration, policies should tailor the level of migration to conditions in the local communities where migrants settle and redistribute the short-term costs associated with these migratory flows.