Modern Migration Theory

Peo Hansen is Professor of Political Science at the Institute for Research on Migration, Ethnicity and Society (REMESO), Linkoping University, Sweden. He has written extensively on questions of migration, citizenship and identity and how they relate to the political economy of European integration. His books include The Politics of European Citzenship (with Sandy Brian Hager) and Eurafrica: The Untold History of European Integration and Colonialism (with Stefan Jonsson).

• 1. Migration: "mother of all problems"2. The fiscal impact of migration3. A modern migration theory4. Demography, security and the shifting conjunctures of the EU’s external labour migration policy5. Labour migration in a sound finance policy logic6. Why EU asylum policy cannot afford to pay demographic dividends7. "We need these people": refugee spending, fiscal impact and refugees' real bearing on Sweden’s society and economy8. Conclusion

A timely book on the supposed trade-off between migration and the sustainability of the welfare state. Hansen’s skilful debunking of the 'sound finance' view demonstrates that there is no 'fiscal burden' when it comes to migration. Migrants are an essential part of the workforce and contribute to the economy. Hansen successfully rewires our thinking about migration and the economy. I highly recommend this superb book.