Jennifer Gordon wrote an op-ed in Foreign Policy about policymakers emphasizing investment and trade as a possible measure to reduce migration from less developed countries.
Amid today’s global immigration crises, wealthy governments are seeking ways to keep out newcomers. Border security measures (typically more sophisticated than U.S. President Donald Trump’s wall) are often first on the list. But other ideas are gaining adherents as well. In the European Union and elsewhere, policymakers are betting that investment and trade will reduce migration from less developed countries. Put money into export-oriented jobs where the would-be workers are, the theory goes, and fewer will leave in search of opportunities elsewhere.
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The U.S. and Mexican governments touted the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, in part as a way to decrease Mexican migration to the United States. Instead, the number of Mexicans heading north to work soared in the 15 years after the agreement came into force in 1994.