Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them

Philippe Legrain makes a compelling case for global immigration with a book that is guaranteed to spark debate.

"Around a million people migrate legally to the US each year, and maybe another half a million (nobody knows the exact figure) enter the country illegally. Europe admits some 2.5 million foreigners each year, with another 800,000 or so (again, nobody knows for sure) entering illegally."

The issue of immigration -- whether it has to do with Islamic fundamentalism in the UK or George Bush sending the National Guard to patrol the Mexican border -- could not be any more current. In 'Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them' Philippe Legrain argues straightforwardly in favour of increased and better-regulated immigration. It is a provocative stance that overturns much of the received wisdom and is bound to spark debate.

Looking at both individual cases and the bigger picture, the book examines the hidden costs of immigration controls; reveals the economic benefits of diversity; asks whether immigrants really displace local workers; shows how migration helps poor countries; and makes the case of temporary migration.