The Foreign Service Journal, June 2012

J U N E 2 0 1 2 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 57 A Movable Feast Exceptional People: How Migration Shaped Our World and Will Define Our Future Ian Goldin, Geoffrey Cameron and Meera Balarajan, Princeton University Press, 2011, $31, hardcover, 371 pages. R EVIEWED BY D AVID B OYLE In Exceptional People , Ian Goldin, Geoffrey Cameron and Meera Balara- jan make a compelling case that inter- national migration will play a funda- mental role in shaping global human and economic development in the 21st century. They describe the social forces driv- ing the movement of individuals across borders, arguing that mass migration is a phenomenon that can be understood and managed, but never fully con- trolled. Fortunately, it serves the inter- ests of emerging and developed nations alike as a powerful force for the contin- ued dynamism of the world economy. Drawing on numerous sources, the authors describe how individual deci- sions to migrate are “nested within a broader set of family considerations, so- cial networks, and political and eco- nomic conditions.” This complexity means that explanations for migration that rely on economic disparities be- tween countries are simplistic and over- look the more important role social networks play in prompting and sus- taining migration. Government policy also shapes the general framework in which individuals and groups make decisions. But inter- national population movements are ul- timately autonomous from the inten- tions of states. Citing the costs and abuses involved in controlling national frontiers, the au- thors advocate a return to the open bor- ders of the 19th century, when massive flows of immigrants set the foundation for the economic development of the modern world. They note that be- tween 1820 and 1920, 60 million per- sons left Europe for the New World. And between 1846 and 1940, 100 mil- lion Chinese, Indian and Russian im- migrants moved to Central and South- east Asia. These migratory flows proved decisive in creating the social dynamism and entrepreneurial innova- tion necessary for economic growth in the 20th century. The authors believe that a return to a global open border policy would pro- duce enormous benefits. According to the studies they cite, such a policy could generate economic activity worth $39 trillion over the next 25 years alone, for both poor and rich countries — a benefit dwarfing the $70 billion the de- veloped world currently devotes to for- eign assistance each year. Even small changes would have dra- matic results: a World Bank study esti- mates migration equal to 3 percent of the work force in developed countries would produce global economic growth of $356 billion by 2025. Freer migration also would provide a counterweight to the increasing au- thority wielded by the nation-state. Exceptional People reminds us that the United States did not require passports until 1919, and Thomas Jefferson con- sidered migration an inalienable right. The authors argue that nation-states can no longer manage—on their own, at least— large populationmovements. Moreover, emerging international norms favor the moral claims of indi- viduals over the absolute sovereignty of nations, as in cases of ethnic cleansing. Demographic changes, globalization and technological advances, they aver, will spur even higher levels of immi- gration in the 21st century, renewing debate over the right of individuals to choose their place of abode. Exceptional People breaks no new ground, but successfully synthesizes a wide range of sources to drive home its central point: “Migration is a natural and irrepressible force that will only in- tensify in the coming decades.” To be sure, the authors acknowl- edge the problems associated with mass migration, including the outbreak of disease, social conflict and the loss of educated elites (colloquially known as “brain drain”). But they observe that isolated countries like North Korea and Cuba simply cannot compete in the modern world. Consular officers adjudicating visa applications should take heart in the value Exceptional People assigns to their work. And U.S. policymakers would do well to take note of an issue likely to be at the forefront of interna- tional debate for years to come. David Boyle is deputy chief of the po- litical section in San Salvador. He has also served in Toronto, Malabo, Manila, Lagos, Lima and Kinshasa. B O O K S Consular officers adjudicating visa cases should take heart in the value Exceptional People assigns to their work.