REFUGEES AS A FACTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN HOST COUNTRIES OF MIGRATION

Authors

  • R. D. Stakanov Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17721/apmv.2016.129.0.82-89

Abstract

The article analyses refugee impact on economic development of host countries. About two-thirds of all international migrants reside in 20 countries. Total number of refugees in the world was estimated at 19.5 million people in 2014, the number of refugees reached the highest level since World War II. Unlike the voluntary migration, the vast majority of refugees head towards developing countries. It must be stressed that forced migration flows generate significant negative political and economic consequences for the world as a whole. Forced migrants tend to come to those regions where there are no significant employment opportunities.

The assumption that receiving a large number of migrants by developed countries may cause unemployment or reduce wages or leads to a significant increase in the cost of public finances due to the rise in social payments is largely unconfirmed. Forced migration being poorly guided, as it is an intrinsic feature of today's stage, creates significant negative externalities to neighbouring regions and the world at large. There is a sizeable difference between forced and voluntary migration for their economic and political consequences. In terms of economic prospects, the difference between forced and voluntary migration should disappear over time. The paper studied the mismatch of supply and demand for certain skills on the labour market that is much more of a problem for developing countries because they receive large volumes of refugees in relation to the total population of their countries and have far fewer opportunities for leveling the imbalance in the economy by attracting additional amount of capital.

Author Biography

  • R. D. Stakanov, Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
    Ph.D. in Economics, Associated Professor of the Chair of World Economy and International Economic Relations

References

UN General Assembly, The United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 28 July 1951, United Nations Treaty Series 189:137.

Aljuni S., Kawar M. ‘The impact of the Syrian refugee crisis on the labour market in Jordan: A preliminary analysis’, International Labour Organization, <http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/arabstates/robeirut/documents/publication/wcms_242021.pdf>

Boubtane E., Dumont J., Rault. C. (2014) ‘Immigration and economic growth in the OECD countries, 1986-2006’, Institute for the Study of Labor, Discussion Paper No. 8681, November, <http://ftp.iza.org/dp8681.pdf>

Chadwick V., Von der Burchard H. (2015) ‘EU expecting 3 million more migrants by 2017’, Politico, 6 November, <http://www.politico.eu/article/migrant-crisis-eu-3-million-migrantsnews-2017-finance/>

Dadush U., Niebuhr M. (2016) ‘The economic impact of forced migration’, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 22 April, <http://carnegieendowment.org/2016/04/22/economic-impact-of-forced-migration-pub-63421>

Ianchovichina E., Ivanic M. (2014) ‘Economic effects of the Syrian war and the spread of the Islamic State on the Levant’, World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 7135, 1 December, <http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2535615>

Karakas C. ‘Economic challenges and prospects of the refugee influx’, European Parliamentary Research Service, <http://www.europarl.europa.eu/ RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/572809/EPRS_BRI(2015)572809_EN.pdf>

Masri S., Srour I. ‘Assessment of the impact of Syrian refugees in Lebanon and their employment profile’, International Labour Organization, <http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/arabstates/ro-beirut/documents/publication/wcms_240134.pdf>

Muysken J., Ziesemer T. (2013) ‘A permanent effect of temporary immigration on economic growth’, Applied Economics 45/28: 4050-4059.

Razina A., Sadkaa E., Swagelb P. ‘Tax burden and migration: A political economy theory and evidence’, NBER Working Paper, <http://www.nber.org/ papers/w6734>

Reznikova N., Vidiakina M. (2016) ‘Developing countries as actors of neo-dependency: The role of foreign direct investment in the global dominance’, Scientific Journal ‘Economics and Finance’: Economics, Management, Law: Innovation Strategy. Collection of scientific articles, Zhengzhou: Henan Science and Technology Press, pp. 76-81, <http://conf.at.ua/28.03.2016_kitaj.pdf#page=76>

Sinn H.-W. (2004) ‘Migration and social replacement incomes: How to protect low-income workers in the industrialized countries against the forces of globalization and market integration’, NBER Working Paper No. 10798, September,

Verme P. ‘How poor are refugees?’, UNHCR, <http://cmimarseille.org/sites/ default/files/newsite/library/files/en/How%20Poor%20Are%20RefugeesMorningLastVersion.pdf>

Zetter R. ‘Are refugees an economic burden or benefit?’, FMR 41: 50-52, <http://www.fmreview.org/sites/fmr/files/FMRdownloads/en/preventing/zetter.pdf>

OECD, Economic Outlook 2015, OECD Publishing, Paris, <http://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/93372/>

OECD/European Union (2015), Indicators of immigrant integration 2015: Settling in, OECD Publishing, Paris, 2015 <http://www.oecd.org/els/mig/Indicators-of-Immigrant-Integration-2015.pdf>

OECD, International Migration Outlook 2015, OECD Publishing, Paris, <http://ifuturo.org/documentacion/InternationalMigrationOutlook.pdf>

OECD, Is immigration good for the economy?, Migration Policy Debates, May 2014, <https://www.oecd.org/migration/mig/OECD%20Migration%20Policy%20Debates%20Numero%202.pdf>

The fiscal impact of immigration in OECD countries, OECD International Migration Outlook 2013, Р. 125-189, <http://www.globalmigrationgroup.org/sites/default/files/Liebig_and_Mo_2013.pdf>

Transcript of World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim’s opening press conference, WBG/IMF Spring Meetings, Washington DC, United States, 14 April 2016, <http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/speech/2016/04/14/transcript-world-bank-group-president-jimyong-kim-opening-press-conference>

United Nations, International Migration Report 2015 [highlights] (ST/ESA/SER.A/375), Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations: New York, 2016, <http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/publications/migrationreport/docs/MigrationReport2015_Highlights.pdf>

Downloads

Published

2017-02-21