Does overseas aid reduce migration? It’s complicated

A growing panic about unauthorized migration from lower-income countries has led governments in the United States and Europe to pledge billions in development aid aimed at reducing the number of arrivals, but is that ethical? And can it work?

A new study billed as the first “comprehensive causal analysis” of such spending concludes that the move can both succeed and be legitimate — but only if high-income nations distinguish between the type of migration they want to stop and that which should be “welcomed.”

The policy brief, “Does Foreign Aid Reduce Migration?” published by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany, also dismisses fears of a “brain drain” in countries in the global south, arguing that the resulting migration can be a “highly effective development policy” for them and a “win-win” arrangement for all concerned.