Integration?

Migration and development: The aid workers who really help The Economist: "The World Bank says foreign workers sent $328 billion from richer to poorer countries last year, more than double the $120 billion in official aid flows from OECD members. India got $52 billion from its diaspora, more than it took in foreign direct investment."

This is positive news that Tobias Billström (M) och Gunilla Carlsson (M) also brings forward in an article in Sydsvenska Dagbladet today. Migration coupled with circular migration, i.e., that people also return to their home countries with experience and funds, has been discussed as an important development.

Jan Ekberg, an economist from Växsjö Högskola, calculated on the other hand that there is little incentive for positive effects on immigration if integration works poorly. An article in Spiegel ONLINE International discusses the effects of poor integration something that people have complained at here in Sweden also.

It is interesting that Gunilla Carlsson is a coauthor on the positive article above since the problem becomes one of international support rather than adjustment of the population composition of Sweden if the calculations of Jan Ekberg are correct. So if we want to help the world from poverty, admit foreigners to work in our country. There is of course also a need for a more efficient integration or we just have to start working longer all of us. What perhaps should be discussed at the same time is how we are going to maintain our welfare systems considering the above facts?