Page 20 RAIN July 1981 ------- FOREIGN - ------ Development Forum, 10 issues per year, $10/yr. donation requested, from: Development Forum General Edition DESI, C-527, United Nations 1211 Geneva, SWITZERLAND As the "single regular publication of the U.N. system in the field of economic and . social development" this newspaper covers a lot1of ground. Articles and interviews in recent issues have focused on such diverse topics as land use planning in Third World cities; efforts to regulate international trade in endangered wildlife species; China's strategies to bring minority populations "into the national framework without loss of their own cultural identities;'' hydroelectric and geothermal projects in-Central America; the proper role of multinationals in developing countries (as seen by the Chairman of Nestle'~!} ; and the social effects of sudden petrowealth in the Arab world. Contributors to Development Forum are from many countries and represent many points of view. It's too bad that some of them are academics badly in need of lessons in Plain Speak, but in a publication packed with so much good (and frequently fascinating) information, this is a minor detraction. - JF 11Intemational Migration: The Search for Work," by Kathleen Newland, Worldwatch Paper #33, November 1979, S2.00from: Worldwatch Institute 1776 Massachusetts Ave., N.W. Washington, DC 20036 • A few Sunda·ys ago I happened to ~atch a 60 Minutes program on illegal immigration to the U.S. Viewing the program I was re- ·minded of how emotionally charged and yet muddy this issue is. Each election year brings another short-term solution that merely exacerbates rather than solves the problem. Addressing the issue of migration for work in its larger international context, Kathleen Newland has identified some of its common themes, history, and hazards. Her succinct report brings us closer to an under- ·standing of the issues involved and to potential meaJ;\s for their resolution. Labor migration is largely determined by an income gap between sending and receiving countries. High wages and availability of work vs. low wages and chronic unemployment determines the direction of the flow. Until recently this trend was seen as part of a natural, free-flowing system where labor movement and income levels would eventually reach equilibrium. Instead, the gap between the countries has continued to grow, rather than shrink, further fueling the mi- . gration process. The economic and psychological impact of the 1974-75 recession prompted labor-exporting countries to reevaluate the net benefits and costs of emigration and the complexities of that relationship. Rather than decreasing unemployment in labor-exporting countries, as was originally assumed, emigration actually is creating an economic and skill drain on those economies. Most people who are choosing ·to emigrate are skilled, middle-income workers. When emigration exhausts the pool of u:11employed but qualified workers, sending countries experience a shortage in sectors of their economy. This is particularly true in developing countries where the cost of education and training is borne by the host country, yet those skills are enjoyed by another country to which the trainee emigrates. Labor-importing countries experience less obvious yet equally insidious effects, such as increased social tension and depressed wage levels. The vulnerability and powerlessness of foreign workers makes them an easy target for social and economic discontent and fans prejudicial FOR SALE I:p the late 1970s, a group of people got together in England to explore the possibilities for creating a "practicable future for rural areas." They purchased a gem of a site just 160 miles from London and began their work. They made the old stone buildings more energy conserving, rewired and replumbed them, installed a large septic tank system, etc., etc. Most of this work was financed "out of pocket." They hadn't actually created demonstrations of alternative energy and farming models, but they had opened the facilities for weekend seminars to initiate discussion leading to the models. Then the money ran out. Now "New Mills" is for sale. The hope is that other organizations with similar goals flames. International migration for work is a graphic demonstration of the economic interdependence of countries, yet migration has not been an issue for high-level international disct,1ssion. Instead, nations tend to deal with these problems in isolation. Little reference is made to the countries that are their "partners" in this exchange. The U.S. is an example of policy-making most often defined by short-range, economic self-interest. Enforcement of illegal immigration and public senti-- ment tend to fluctuate with the economy: as unemployment rises so does "enforcement fever." Newland's report strikes at the heart of the problem. "Efforts to stem migration should not concentrate on erecting legal and physical barriers to human movement, but rather should address the conditions that motivate people to move-chiefly poverty and the lack of job opportunities at home." By treating the causes rather than the system of migration, nations can contribute to the establishment of an international economy that is more stable as well as just. -LS will form some sort of working team to operate the facility. There are 4.4 acres of land situated in the Exmoor National Park. Some of the land is in meadows, some remains forested, and some has been gardened for vegetables. There is a trout stream running on about a quarter mile of the property and an exis!,ing headrace channel leading to the barn where there was once a water wheel. There is even one group, the Future Studies Centre, that is interested in co-purchasing '.'New Mills." If your group is interested perhaps you should write them for more information. Contact Michael Brown, 38 Hill Rise, Rich-· mond Surrey, TWlO 6UA, UNITED KINGDOM. -CC
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