Migration as Economic Imperialism

For several decades, wealthy states, international development agencies and multinational corporations have encouraged labour migration from the Global South to the Global North. As well as providing essential workers to support the transformation of advanced economies, the remittances that migrants send home have been touted as the most promising means of national development for poor and undeveloped countries.

As Immanuel Ness argues in this sharp corrective to conventional wisdom, temporary labour migration represents the most recent form of economic imperialism and global domination. A closer look at the economic and social evidence demonstrates that remittances deepen economic exploitation, unravel societal stability and significantly expand economic inequality between poor and rich societies. The book exposes the damaging political, economic and social effects of migration on origin countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and how border and security mechanisms control and marginalize low-wage migrant workers, especially women and youth. Ness asserts that remittances do not bring growth to poor countries but extend national dependence on the export of migrant workers, leading to warped and unequal development on the global periphery.

This expert take will be a valuable resource for students and scholars of migration and development across the social sciences.

Introduction

Chapter 1 Neoliberal Capitalism, Imperialism, and Labour Migration

Chapter 2 Underdevelopment and Labour Migration as Economic Imperialism

Chapter 3 Labour Migration and Origin Countries

Chapter 4 Labour Migration and Destination States

Chapter 5 The Damage of Borders

Conclusion: Dismantling the Migration–Development Nexus

“Whether named colonialism, neocolonialism or globalization, imperialism still organizes much of the world economy. This book systematically locates labour migration within the capitalist imperialism that overdetermines it... thereby adding an overdue critical perspective to the study of labour migration.”
Richard D. Wolff, The New School, New York

“In this insightful critique of the migration‒development nexus, Ness argues for rethinking migration as a benefit to sending countries. Through a global economic imperialism lens, he proposes that labor migration is one more peg in the extractive history of wealthy countries, further disempowering poorer sending countries. This meaningful intervention in debates about labour migration will be of great interest and will be read widely.”
Cecilia Menjívar, University of California, Los Angeles

“Manny Ness is a tireless labor historian whose many works occupy significant space on any well-stocked bookshelf. His latest release […] shows that there is an urgent need to tie [migration and imperialism] together.”
LeftTwoThree

“In this well researched and informative book, Ness digs into multiple facets of the global economy of migration. […] The essential role of migrant labor in global capitalism tends to be underappreciated, and Ness performs a valuable service in exposing the widespread and destabilizing dynamics of that process.”
Counterpunch

“There is a need to revive and update the theory of unequal exchange and dependency theory in general to the features of twenty-first-century capitalism. Ness’s book is an important contribution to this task.”
Monthly Review

“It has become politically fashionable in both the US and western Europe to scapegoat the most desperate victims of economic crisis, while continuing to implement the policies that cause the problem. These images of desperation are shown to be the tip of the iceberg in Migration as Economic Imperialism.” Hollywood Progressive “Ness’s book effectively challenges […] triumphalist views, showing the growth in migration rates to be a direct consequence of entrenched social inequalities fueled by neo-liberal economic policies, which yield little benefit for countries in the Global South.”
Jeremy Kuzmarov, CovertAction Magazine

“Excellent, sophisticated, highly readable, and tightly organized. […] Ness has provided us with an outstanding and ground-breaking text that deserves a wide readership. Considering the issue’s political implications, I hope that both scholars and lay readers will take advantage of this important book. If they do, they will be richly rewarded.” Labor Studies Journal

“Migration as Economic Imperialism makes a compelling case for the deep-seated problems associated with seeing migration as a tool of emancipation for poor countries. It also provides valuable food for thought regarding what needs to happen to redress global inequality as it relates to the movement of workers across national borders.”
Joseph Nevins, Socialism and Democracy

“a potent and thought-provoking indictment of the global system of labor migration and its effects on the economic development of the Global South. The book’s critique of neoliberal capitalism is both urgent and vital. Ness’s work significantly adds to the body of knowledge on migration and development and will surely impact upcoming conversations on these crucial topics.”
Insight Turkey

“Ness continues his intellectual project to bring to light the condition of the global working class. … With up-to-date statistics, analytic rigour, and a detailed narrative, Ness offers a compelling account of contemporary migration that can grasp both its breadth and its depth as phenomenon.”
Science & Society

“Migration as Economic Imperialism makes a compelling case for the deep-seated problems associated with seeing migration as a tool of emancipation for poor countries. It also provides valuable food for thought regarding what needs to happen to redress global inequality as it relates to the movement of workers across national borders.”
Joseph Nevins, Socialism and Democracy

“a potent and thought-provoking indictment of the global system of labor migration and its effects on the economic development of the Global South. The book’s critique of neoliberal capitalism is both urgent and vital. Ness’s work significantly adds to the body of knowledge on migration and development and will surely impact upcoming conversations on these crucial topics.”
Insight Turkey

Immanuel Ness is Professor of Political Science at Brooklyn College, City University of New York and Visiting Professor of Sociology at the University of Johannesburg.