Left Foot Forward reported on OPEN/Tent’s study on 18 May. Many [EU countries] provide the worst of both worlds: little help for refugees and high barriers to employment and enterprise. This breeds hardship and failure for refugees, and misplaced resentment towards them from locals. Greater investment in refugees combined with reforms to open up opportunities for progress are both economically and politically desirable.” The key policy recommendation is that countries should …
Continue readingBusiness Insider UK: A prominent economist destroyed the argument against rehoming refugees across Europe
Lianna Brinded wrote about OPEN/Tent’s refugee study for Business Insider UK on 18 May. Refugees can contribute economically in many ways: as workers of all skill levels, entrepreneurs, innovators, taxpayers, consumers and investors. Their efforts can help create jobs, raise the productivity and wages of local workers, lift capital returns, stimulate international trade and investment, and boost innovation, enterprise and growth. From a global perspective, enabling people to move to …
Continue readingVice News on OPEN’s study
Vice News’ piece on Australia’s asylum debate talks about OPEN/Tent’s study. It also noted that the only developed country where studies have attempted to measure refugees’ overall economic impact is Australia — and all have found that refugees net contribution is positive. Read the full piece here.
Continue readingCatholic Ireland on OPEN’s study: Benefits of welcoming refugees highlighted
Ann Marie Foley wrote about OPEN/Tent’s refugee study for Catholic Ireland on 19 May. Welcoming a refugee can cost up to €12,000 initially but over time they begin to work and pay tax and contribute to the economy, he told on RTE Radio 1 News. He suggested that, in Ireland, the sooner asylum seekers are allowed to work and their qualifications are recognised the sooner they will be able to …
Continue readingWashington Post on OPEN’s study: Why refugees should be seen as an investment, not a burden
Max Bearak covered OPEN/Tent’s refugee study in the Washington Post on 18 May. In a rare in-depth study of the long-term effects of refugees on host nations’ GDPs, researchers found that “investing one euro in refugee assistance can yield nearly two euros in economic benefits within five years.” Read his article in full here.
Continue readingInterviewed about refugee study by Lithuanian Public Radio
Philippe Legrain was interviewed about OPEN/Tent’s refugee study by Indre Anskaityte for LRT, Lithuanian Public Radio on 22 May. Listen here.
Continue readingARA on OPEN’s study: Els refugiats aportaran a l’economia el doble del que la UE gastarà a acollir-los
Cristina Mas interviewed me about my OPEN/Tent study on refugees for Catalan newspaper ARA on 18 May. “Els refugiats no són una càrrega a evitar: són una oportunitat que ha de ser benvinguda. Com va passar amb els espanyols que fugien de la dictadura de Franco, la gent que emigra per motius polítics també pot contribuir econòmicament a la societat d’arribada. Els refugiats aporten com a treballadors, empresaris, inventors, consumidors, …
Continue readingOuest France on OPEN’s study: Les réfugiés rapportent plus que ce qu’ils coûtent
Marié Awenig interviewed me in Ouest France about OPEN and Tent’s refugee study for a piece on 20 May. Les gouvernements devraient en priorité intégrer les réfugiés et les demandeurs d’asile sur le marché du travail. En France, les procédures de demandes d’asile prennent du temps, parfois des années. Pendant ce temps, les demandeurs d’asile sont exclus de l’emploi. De même, très souvent, les gouvernements ne reconnaissent pas les diplômes …
Continue readingFrance 24 on OPEN’s study: L’accueil des réfugiés peut rapporter 126 milliards d’euros à l’UE
France 24 covered OPEN and Tent’s refugee study on 18 May. “L’Europe doit prendre des mesures pour accélérer l’intégration des demandeurs d’asile et leur permettre d’avoir accès au marché du travail au plus vite”, écrit Philippe Legrain. Read the article in full here. Photo copyright Lpuisa Gouliamaki, AFP
Continue readingCityAM on OPEN study: Former EU adviser says refugee crisis could boost growth and wages in ailing European economies
City AM, the top business newspaper for Londoners, featured OPEN and Tent’s study on its front page on 18 May. Jake Cordell quoted me as follows: Legrain is calling on governments to make sure they help refugees integrate, find work and contribute. “Refugees are often seen as a burden to be shared or shirked, when in fact they are an opportunity to be welcomed,” he said. Read the piece in full here
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