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Mobility matters

In Blog by Sam LoweLeave a Comment

Even in a digital age, trading services often requires people to move too, says Sam Lowe The internet makes the world feel smaller. Gone are the days when sending documents overseas took months, or paying for a 20-minute call to a supplier in the Philippines required taking out a second mortgage. Yet services trade is still constrained by geography – a 10% increase in distance between countries tends to reduce services …

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The new global talent race

In Blog by Jack GrahamLeave a Comment

With Trump’s America and Brexit Britain turning away talented migrants, Canada and Australia are well placed to capitalise By Jack Graham From tech gurus to top scientists, every country says it wants to attract the best brains. Highly-skilled workers are increasingly mobile, and help to stimulate innovation, enterprise, jobs and growth. But while the global competition for talent is nothing new, the contest has recently changed. Two of the leading …

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Pushing back against anti-immigrant forces; EU democracy; trade wars

In Blog by Philippe LegrainLeave a Comment

For the first time in years, anti-immigrant hardliners in the UK are on the back foot. The Windrush scandal has generated an outpouring of support for people who have contributed so much to Britain for so many years, only to be threatened with deportation by Home Office officials because they couldn’t prove their immigration status – a chilling reminder that without proper safeguards some EU citizens could suffer a similar post-Brexit fate. The new …

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OPEN briefing: migrants’ right to vote, Brexit blunders, good news on refugees

In Blog by Philippe LegrainLeave a Comment

Nativists are in the ascendant in many countries right now. Governments are responding by curtailing migrants’ rights. And whether it is Brexit Britain or Trump’s America, immigrants are often powerless to fight back. That needs to change. Giving long-term foreign residents the right to vote isn’t just a matter of human rights, it’s about bringing democracy into the 21st century, argues Iana Dreyer in a must-read new piece for OPEN. Electing the people who …

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Weekly report featuring Dayton, Jersey, Italy and refugees

In Blog by Philippe LegrainLeave a Comment

  America’s Rust Belt. Old industrial towns in the north of England. France’s northern Hauts de France region. Eastern Germany. The places that have suffered from industrial decline in recent decades often focus their anger on immigrants. But what if newcomers could actually help regenerate such areas? After its economy suffered and its population slumped, the city of Dayton, Ohio has put that theory to the test. Its innovative “Welcome …

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The threats to migrants’ right to stay

In Blog by Philippe LegrainLeave a Comment

Plus: France’s asylum reforms The 3 million EU citizens who have made their lives in the UK are understandably concerned about their post-Brexit residency rights, as are the 1 million or so UK citizens who have settled in the EU. While there is a broad political consensus that they should be able to stay and the prospect of legal certainty in the UK’s EU exit agreement, the uncertainty is still deeply unsettling. So …

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There’s nothing more patriotic than wanting your country to be better

In Blog by Philippe LegrainLeave a Comment

By Jack Graham Reactionary nationalists like to portray themselves as the only true patriots, but wanting the best for your country ought to mean embracing openness and progress Nasty nationalism is back in force in Western politics. Since the Brexit vote, government ministers have attacked Remainers – those who wish Britain to remain in the European Union (EU) – and sceptical journalists for being unpatriotic. In the US, Donald Trump …

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Leaked UK immigration proposals could wreck hopes of a Brexit deal

In Blog by Philippe LegrainLeave a Comment

It’s been a bad week for those of us who believe in open societies. Donald Trump cancelled an Obama-era programme that shields from deportation undocumented immigrants who arrived in the US as children. And leaked UK immigration proposals set out harsh terms for EU citizens after Brexit that threaten to scupper the already deadlocked Brexit negotiations. It is morally wrong to threaten to deport young people who basically know only the US, have done nothing wrong and should not be held responsible …

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