Andrianopoulos on Migration: Shift in Cultural Views and Stagnation
Recent UK data reveals immigration has strained public finances rather than boosted growth, with lasting cultural impacts potentially hindering economic and technological progress in host countries.
There is much discussion about the role of migration in filling the gaps left by population decline. Many argue that migratory flows will make up for the lack of labor, cover social security deficits, and contribute to strengthening the economy. But is this really the case? Will migration help boost the economy or will it weaken it even further?
Based on the experience of the United Kingdom, where there is extensive statistical data, the migratory flows that increased significantly after 2021 did not help economic growth. On the contrary, the heavy burden placed on social welfare systems, mainly due to the influx of migrant relatives, students, asylum seekers, and unskilled workers, severely strained the budget.
Studies have shown that each migrant imposed a net economic burden. According to a 2024 report by the British Office of Budget Responsibility, each low-wage migrant will have cost a net amount of £465,000 by the time they reach 81 years of age!
Beyond the direct economic cost of migration, there is another equally serious issue: the role of cultural values in economic performance. In his insightful book The Culture Transplant (2022), Garett Jones identifies the cultural foundations of income differences between countries.
He demonstrates how migrants bring strong cultural attitudes from their home countries (against savings, trust, and the role of the state) that persist for decades (at least) in their new countries of residence. The notion of complete assimilation or integration within one or two generations is an absolute myth. The cultural imprint these migrants bring significantly influences the economic capabilities of their new homeland over the long term.
Jones, using statistical data and solid evidence, rejects the claims of a silent consensus that political institutions and a country’s economic prospects would remain unaffected by migratory flows.
Moreover, since global technological advancements and innovations come from a handful of countries, primarily in the West, it is very likely that increased migratory flows to these countries will negatively affect, in the long term, the quality of the public sector, technological progress, related discoveries, and, of course, economic advancement.
First published on Newideas.gr
