UK Immigration: Economic Burden or Benefit?
This week on the IEA Podcast, host Matthew Lesh is joined by Harrison Griffiths, Communications Officer at the Institute of Economic Affairs, to discuss whether high levels of immigration to the UK are delivering the promised economic benefits or placing burdens on housing, infrastructure, public services and social cohesion. This week's question: Are immigrants burdening Britain?
They analyse the key arguments made in a recent report from the Centre for Policy Studies that claims immigration has failed to boost economic growth in Britain while undermining wages and productivity. Harrison pushes back on claims that immigrants deter capital investment and are a fiscal drain, arguing these trends have more to do with poor government policies than immigration levels.
The discussion also covers public concern over immigration versus demand for immigrant labour, whether the UK should shift to a "brightest and best" approach admitting only high-skilled immigrants, and the toxic effects of the small boats issue on the immigration debate. While disagreeing with much of the economic critique of immigration, Harrison acknowledges there are reasonably salient cultural and democratic concerns around integration that deserve consideration.
00:00 - Introduction
01:34 - Analysing claims that immigration has failed to boost UK economic growth
06:38 - Immigrants deter capital investment
14:26 - Immigrants are a fiscal drain on public finances
19:01 - The OBR's positive view of immigration's fiscal impact
23:23 - Should immigrants be required to pay more for public services such as the NHS?
26:26 - Public concern about immigration levels vs demand for immigrant labor
30:08 - Reduce immigration to 1990's levels?
33:03 - Defending the economic benefits of low-skilled immigration
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The way a democracy works is that the majority decide on the way they want to live. Then representatives of the voters are expected to put that into operation.The UK isn't a shop it's a home.
The way that democracy works is that the party decides which candidates and agendas to run based on the wishes of the donor class, and the job of the politicians is to explain why what the donors want is supposedly good for the public.
A well organised minority rules over a disorganised majority
GDP per cap/ head today is DOWN AGAIN.
As Angela Merkal said, Europe accounts for about 10% of the Worlds population, and about 25% of the Worlds GDP, and about 58% of the Worlds Welfare. This is unsustainable and will bring catastrophe in the end. Welfare is the driving force behind mass immigration into Europe from the poorest parts of the World. Welfare systems all across Europe needs to be cut dramatically or Countries will go bust, this is where the real money has gone.
You have to blame the people for allowing government to fund benefits to immigrates they are not entitled to one penny of taxpayers money
It's fundamentally dishonest that "GDP" is used as a figure for economic success by politicians, it takes advantage of the fact that the public don't understand the difference bewteen GDP and GDP per capita, and that what matters is per capita GDP.
Even if they were a net positive economic contributor it still wouldn't be worth it, crime, culture, trust, all gone.
If its a benefit why would we slow immigration and not encourage unlimited migration, and after 20+ years of mass migration when exactly do we reap the benefits and what are they?
A better question is, benefit to whom?
Can anyone clarify: the immigration in the 1920's surely was numerically no where near current levels? Surely he's getting percentages of the host population and numerical levels confused?
not exactly, this also stem/ from corporate greed and exploitation. To immigrant, any job any salary in a developed country is already a blessing.
4:50 the NIMBY vote for more immigration but not housing. LibDems in Amersham and Chesham. Mass immigration has caused and productivity stagnation whilst exacerbating the housing EMERGENCY. It isn't desirable to turn this green and pleasant land into housing estates for new arrivals. That same report says 89% of the housing demand is immigrants. We arent net tax contributors until we earn 41k per annum, so how will a cleaner from Nigeria with 3 kids in social housing pay enough taxes to contribute? Never going to happen They depress wages, the law of supply and demand works for labour as well as housing. Then you guys talk of economics, but you ignore social, cultural, and environmental sustainability. Mass immigration is a no all-around.
'There is no reason why housing cannot keep up with demand' 1.4 million visas issued last year - 231,000 houses were built. House building has *never* been high enough to accommodate these kinds of numbers. You people are not serious if you think that statement is at all credible.
The question isn't "Good or Bad" but do they want them and if so who and how many?
Obviously yes. Also criminal aliens
Mass immigration fuels the housing crisis .Housing is the biggest cost out of ordinary people's budgets.. Still GDP increases when the population grows so not to worry.
In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not - Albert Einstein. Saying that it is possible to build more houses is the laziest argument going. The truth is that house building struggles to get past 200k, until you are able to build more then immigration will continue to make an already dysfunctional housing market even more dysfunctional
He also fails to take into account the shortage in trades within the built environment we have.
It is housing but also it isn't, it is all the other services which low wage immigrants do not contribute enough to pay for!
The right wing need to make advocate for lower immigration at the expense of the economy and the NHS. They need to decide: Economy/NHS or lower immigration.
I'd rather live through 20 years of barely scraping by than spend the rest of my life seeing my country change into a concrete jungle before my eyes
@@evzevz06 me too. We simply have to be clear. Immigration is our top priority and no matter the cost. It must be stopped
@@BioHazardCL4 Legend, you hit the nail on the head and I hope you get your message out far and wide because I agree but am too lazy these days. This little liked post says it PERFECTLY. People "beating around the bush" with immigration trying to say "oh well something something economics maybe?" rather than just saying the plain ol truth that they don't damn well want to import a different culture over top of their own culture is a HUGE stumbling block to getting the right things implemented. It doesn't help that being anti-migration is borderline illegal in the west these days, mind you...
Right wing? what right wing party? there is no right wing party. And we never wanted immigrants. They don't bring anything to they destroy the wages of the blue collar jobs. I myself had to suffer getting paid under the table because that polish would in trades. You destroyed every generation from Tony Blair era.
NHS is dyeing due to mass immigration that is more users without wages being enough to pay in!
Uk is not united anymore
Brexit mess
The mistake U.K. doing is giving out indefinite leave to remain and citizenship- by all means invite people to work while you fix the incompetence of the past 30 years but don’t sell citizenship to competing cultures and religions or our culture and demographic will be wiped out irreversibly in the next 5 years
Like the elites give a shit about culture, history or heritage. Humans are mere cogs in an economic zone for them.
Brexit disaster
30:00 I'd rather be poorer but have a coherent high-trust society and culture. Highly selective immigration for NHS and key industries. Tens of thousands. Especially not frlm Islamic lands. It isn't worth the hassle. 31:53
Kkkkkkkk kkkkkkkk shame indeed
I detest this econ speak. Economics can be a useful tool to help you think about economic problems, but when you start refering to the marginal product of labour instead of the interests of the English people, you have definitely lost the plot.
Yep that's the trouble with the "muh business" right.
This channel is called The Institute of Economic Affairs. I humbly put to you that you have tuned into the wrong channel if you don’t like “Econ speak”. There are plenty of channels talking about the interests of the British people.
I appreciate the response, though I humbly submit that I think you missed my point. I love economics, but it is important not to get too caught up in econ talk. You risk abstracting the problems facing modern economies to issues with the marginal product or labour, or a lack of capital investment and forget that abstraction helps us think about the problem, but through abstraction resolution is lost. This means when you turn to policy recommendations a more rounded view must be taken. For example, Countries are not economies, and sometimes what is good for an economy can be deadly for a country. Kind regards
If the system allows for lazy people, why blame those who come legally to work. The problem is profit before living wage, but lets blame immigration.
You are absolutely Richard head . Racism to a tee.
I have never heard such bullshit