Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/335956 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 18308
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
International migration policy for lower-income countries is still guided by assumptions from an earlier era—when less-educated labor was abundant, skilled emigration was seen purely as 'brain drain,' and development was expected to reduce migration. That world is gone. This paper reviews recent research on migration policy in the 21st century, when demographic decline is making labor scarce globally, skilled emigration can yield net long- term gains for origin countries, and development often increases migration pressures for generations. The literature shows that migration, managed through innovative institutions, can sustain fiscal systems in aging economies, spur human capital investment at origin, and accelerate structural change. Migration is not a substitute for development, but a catalyst and major opportunity. Policy priorities include regional free-movement regimes, new destination-country partnerships, restructured skill-training systems for a mobile world, and integrating migration into aid partnerships. Much more research is needed to understand the impacts of these tools.
Subjects: 
migration
immigration
emigration
development
demographic
aging
asylum
irregular
skills
brain drain
Africa
refugee
workforce
JEL: 
F22
F24
F35
F65
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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