How Migration Really Works: The Facts About the Most Divisive Issue in Politics

Hein de Haas

Dis 2023 · Kuthengiswe ngu-Basic Books

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An authoritative guide to global migration that corrects decades of misunderstanding and misguided policy, "defying orthodoxy on all sides of the debate" (Yascha Mounk, author of The Identity Trap​).

As debates on immigration have reached fever pitch, so has political and media fearmongering. But what are the facts behind the headlines?

Drawing on three decades of research, migration expert Hein de Haas destroys the myths that politicians, interest groups, and media spread about immigration. He reveals: 
 

• Global migration is not at an all-time high 
• Climate change will not lead to mass migration 
• Immigration mainly benefits the wealthy, not workers 
• Border restrictions have paradoxically produced more migration 

Ultimately, de Haas shows migration not as a problem to be solved, nor as a solution to a problem, but as it really is.  

This book is an essential guide to one of our most divisive political issues, showing how we can move beyond today’s deeply polarized debate and make migration work better for everyone. 

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Hein de Haas is professor of sociology at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). He formerly taught at the University of Oxford, where he codirected the International Migration Institute (IMI). One of the world’s top migration scholars, he continues to direct IMI from its current home at UvA. He lives in Amsterdam.