The world is currently experiencing an imbalance in birth rates, with some countries facing an aging population and others facing a youth bubble. This could lead to an unsustainable social contract in which the young support the old. Developmental economist Lant Pritchett suggests that immigration could offset the economic consequences of global demographic changes, as there are a billion people in the world willing to move and work in another country. However, anti-immigrant attitudes are growing, and immigration is a political as well as an economic question. Pritchett argues that separating the discussion about who are future citizens from the question about who is allowed to be legally present on a country’s territory to do labor services could help manage the social and political consequences of migration. He believes that setting up fair, transparent, legally enforced ways in which workers can come and return could help meet the low-skill labor needs of developed countries, as well as provide developing countries with remittances and other benefits.
Remzi Guvenc Kulen, Esq.
Kulen Law Firm, P.C.
