Comments on: I Want a Blue Card http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/04/07/i-want-a-blue-card/ The Sweet Release of Reason Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:08:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Skye Winspur http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/04/07/i-want-a-blue-card/#comment-578796 Skye Winspur Mon, 14 Apr 2008 15:53:13 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=1384#comment-578796 A non-libertarian responds: The very fact that some countries discriminate between "high-skill" and "low-skill" workers is disturbing to me. Farm laborers may not generate as much GDP, per capita, as programmers--does this mean they should be denied the opportunities that programmers get? A non-libertarian responds:

The very fact that some countries discriminate between “high-skill” and “low-skill” workers is disturbing to me. Farm laborers may not generate as much GDP, per capita, as programmers–does this mean they should be denied the opportunities that programmers get?

]]> By: Micha Ghertner http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/04/07/i-want-a-blue-card/#comment-578281 Micha Ghertner Tue, 08 Apr 2008 05:52:45 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=1384#comment-578281 Lant Pritchett adresses this question in his book. As I recall, his conclusion is that liberalizing high-skill as opposed to low-skill labor migration is undesirable for all sorts of reasons, such as rising inequality and possible brain drain effects (though he argues that brain drain might actually benefit the sending countries rather than hurt them; the evidence is mixed), but if the choice is between liberalizing high-skill labor migration and not liberalizing any migration at all, then of course we should prefer the former. But if there are a fixed number of labor migration slots, it's better if these are filled with low-skill workers, at least from a pure welfare-maximization perspective, if not from a political feasibility perspective. Lant Pritchett adresses this question in his book. As I recall, his conclusion is that liberalizing high-skill as opposed to low-skill labor migration is undesirable for all sorts of reasons, such as rising inequality and possible brain drain effects (though he argues that brain drain might actually benefit the sending countries rather than hurt them; the evidence is mixed), but if the choice is between liberalizing high-skill labor migration and not liberalizing any migration at all, then of course we should prefer the former. But if there are a fixed number of labor migration slots, it’s better if these are filled with low-skill workers, at least from a pure welfare-maximization perspective, if not from a political feasibility perspective.

]]> By: Stentor http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/2008/04/07/i-want-a-blue-card/#comment-578271 Stentor Tue, 08 Apr 2008 04:29:50 +0000 http://www.willwilkinson.net/flybottle/?p=1384#comment-578271 <i>I suspect that an increased volume of global migration among the skilled would do a good deal to acclimate incumbent residents to foreigners, thereby softening the ground for more general liberalization.</i> It could, but I think it could also lead to an easy way of making a "good immigrant-bad immigrant" divide that would allow people to continue pushing restrictionist policies toward low-skill immigrants while using support of high-skilled immigration as a shield from simple charges of racism/xenophobia (especially if the immigrants of different skill levels are coming from different countries -- e.g. the US would take in a lot of high-skilled Indians, who are different enough from the Mexicans that make up most of our low-skill immigrant pool that you could see a softening ofprejudices toward Indians that doesn't carry over to Mexicans). I suspect that an increased volume of global migration among the skilled would do a good deal to acclimate incumbent residents to foreigners, thereby softening the ground for more general liberalization.

It could, but I think it could also lead to an easy way of making a “good immigrant-bad immigrant” divide that would allow people to continue pushing restrictionist policies toward low-skill immigrants while using support of high-skilled immigration as a shield from simple charges of racism/xenophobia (especially if the immigrants of different skill levels are coming from different countries — e.g. the US would take in a lot of high-skilled Indians, who are different enough from the Mexicans that make up most of our low-skill immigrant pool that you could see a softening ofprejudices toward Indians that doesn’t carry over to Mexicans).

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