Are Western Nations Being Selfish By Recruiting Skilled Immigrants?

[Solly]

Some people seem to think that allowing immigration - even en masse - can be hugely beneficial to our country. Yet is this a nationalist viewpoint, on a par with trade protectionism?

What a disincentive for developing countries to provide for a quality education system when they have to acknowledge that those who the system educates best will most likely take the skills elsewhere, to gain a higher standard of living.

"Not only are the developing countries losing some of their most talented citizens,they are also losing the scarce capital that has gone into their rearing and training. Education is, after all, an investment in the future. In the case of brain drain from the developing countries, not only does the investment pay no dividends, but the very capital disappears. Moreover, the exodus of highly skilled professionals deprives the sending countries of the services of the persons on whom campaigns of economic and social development must be based."

John Tanton, The Brain Drain and Countries of Immigration, 1979

That pretty much explains why education is so lacking in developing countries - it is due to Western poaching of talent!

Is it thus left-liberals in this regard who are harming developing nations (who they profess to want to help) by wanting more open immigration policies? Are "nationalists" or "racists" who want an ethnically pure nation really helping the peoples of the developing world?

Discuss.

[MRT144]

bods, you really need to lay off the nazitionalist crack pipe.

the people who get educated leave the country because they have better opportunity to make a living elsewhere. best man for the job... if that means a bunch of incompetent white people dont have ****ty jobs i dont care. they didnt deserve them in the first place.

corporations dont even need immigrants anymore. they can just hire poor people in their own country.

nationalists and racists dont stop at their own borders with their ideology.

the very idea that you consider yourself as legitimate is disgusting and only proves there are a few nazitionalists left in the world that need to be shown the light.

[Solly]

In the long run, the developing country will decide to stop spending on education that is obviously wasted, though. Why train up a doctor if he buggers off to Britain once his training is finished.

And many studies have shown immigration does not tend to have a big effect of job losses amongst native workers - I have never said anything about "stealing our jobs".

[*End Is Forever*]

That's free movement of labour for you.

[Solly]

Yes, I know it is. I'm looking at the consequences and whether that free movement is a good or bad thing for the developing world.

To me, it looks unambiguously bad.

[MRT144]

thats the belief of your beloved BNP. british workers first? anti globalisation? etc etc. it all leads up to "brown people take our jobs because our people are too stupid and demand too much"

bods, forcing people to stay in their country and be a doctor and get paid peanuts is not a motivation for becoming a doctor. do you still teach people how to be doctors if the people realize they could make more money in other professions in their native country? of course not.

[Solly]

(I've told you that I have severe issues with some of the BNP's economic policies. British workers suffer little from immigration - it's national security and social cohesiveness I am concerned about. Anyway, that is irrelevant.)

forcing people to stay in their country and be a doctor and get paid peanuts is not a motivation for becoming a doctor. do you still teach people how to be doctors if the people realize they could make more money in other professions in their native country? of course not.

You seem to be making the assumption that a doctor's wage in a developing country is not relatively higher than an unskilled wage. Can you tell me where to look for the data you base this assumption on.

[Az]

yes.

[Spiffor]

It obviously is selfish, like every brain drain. It does hamper development, and brings very little to the rich countries in comparison to what the educated would bring to the poor countries. As much as I hate to say that, I agree with Bod's.

[LDiCesare]

Not all of them leave, and thus education is not totally wasted. Some of them do come back to their home country, even if only to retire, but then they bring money back too.
Now, I agree that the benefit mostly goes to the brain drainers. I don't think the developing countries would benefit from preventing emigration, though. By educating people, they get a smaller return on investment than "developped" countries, but they gain something. By closing their boundaries, would they gain anything? I doubt it, because nothing would enter either.

[Az]

Not all of them leave, and thus education is not totally wasted. Some of them do come back to their home country, even if only to retire, but then they bring money back too.
Now, I agree that the benefit mostly goes to the brain drainers. I don't think the developing countries would benefit from preventing emigration, though. By educating people, they get a smaller return on investment than "developped" countries, but they gain something. By closing their boundaries, would they gain anything? I doubt it, because nothing would enter either.

Let's say that Zaire has educated a Medical Doctor. He then moves to France, spends his entire life there, and retires, back in Zaire ( somewhat doubtful ), with relative wealth. What did exactly Zaire gain?

[Spiffor]

ABout 1/2 the price it paid in educating the doctor

[Az]

"invest and get half of your money back in 70 years!"

[Spiffor]

[Japher]

Companies should try an keep foreigners as unskilled and ignorant as possible, that way they will never no of greed!