Why Open Borders Would Strengthen Our Economy – Huffington Post

Why do you think open borders are a good idea? originally appeared on Quora - the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.

A mountain of scientific evidence shows that immigration is the most powerful weapon we have in the fight against global poverty. Four different studies have shown that, depending on the level of movement in the global labor market, the estimated growth in gross worldwide product would be in the range of 67% to 147%. Effectively, open borders would make the whole world twice as rich.

I understand that arguing in favor of immigration is not going to make you very popular these days. But as a historian, its easy to see that immigration is one of the most important drivers of prosperity in world history - from the Roman Empire to the United States. And many of the arguments against it (theyll take our jobs, they are too lazy to work, theyre all criminals - etc.) are factually incorrect.

Immigrants are often very productive and entrepreneurial and are actually job creators. People making a new life in the U.S. commit fewer offenses and less frequently end up in prison than the native population. Immigration has virtually no effect on the wages of the native population. Theres no evidence that immigrants are more likely to apply for assistance than native citizens. In reality, if you correct for income and job status, immigrants take less advantage of the welfare state.

Obviously, you cant win this debate by just churning out facts like these. Its really important to develop a different story around immigration. A country that is proud of itself, of its own heritage and traditions, a country that doesnt lack self-confidence will also be open to others.

Its the same with individuals: if youre confident of who you are, you will be open to new experiences. But if youre insecure, dont know who you are and where you want to go, you will probably be hostile to others as well. It doesnt surprise me that theres a rise in xenophobia and right-wing populism in a time when the centre has no ideology anymore, no new utopian visions.

This is why I wrote my book Utopia for Realists: weve achieved a lot in the past, but the problem today is that we dont know where to go next. Its time for a new Utopia for the 21st century.

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Why Open Borders Would Strengthen Our Economy - Huffington Post