Elma Saiz se reúne con Hillel Rapoport, profesor de la Sorbona y experto en la atracción de talento internacional como motor de crecimiento y catalizador de la convivencia

The Minister of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, Elma Saiz, held a third meeting within the framework of the “Coffee with Science” cycle, this time with the scientist Hillel Rapoport. The aim of these Cafés is to bring science closer to the Ministry’s public policies and to reinforce empirical analysis in decision-making.

Hillel Rapoport is a professor and director of International Relations at the Paris School of Economics and the Sorbonne University, and his main field of research focuses on the impact of migration on economic growth, as well as other aspects of, diversity and integration of refugees.

“Immigration is positive from many points of view, and the more diverse, the better,” says the expert. “International talent is a driver of growth and also drives a positive perception of migration in general and a decline in extremist populisms and currents. We see it clearly in the model we have developed, which reflects the evolution of voting and migration in countries such as the United States, France and the United Kingdom,” he explains.

Minister Elma Saiz, for her part, explains that “Professor Rapoport’s work is illuminating and coincides with our commitment to attracting international talent, as we have done with the fast track (baptized EduBridge to Spain) aimed at foreign students affected by the recent immigration restrictions imposed in the United States.” “Scientific solvency allows us to overcome debates based on subjective perceptions, which is common in the issue of migration. In this regard,

The vicious circle of xenophobia

Rapoport explains that there is a very direct relationship between extremist populisms and currents and the structure of immigration according to their training and training. According to the scientist, “populist rhetoric increases the fear of immigration, which discourages highly qualified immigrants from settling, with the consequent negative effect on the economy. In this way, an adverse selection is provoked: the proportion of low-skilled immigrants rises, which reinforces the anti-immigrant discourse.”

Faced with this drift, “it is urgent to break this cycle of xenophobic feedback and design effective policies,” says the professor. His model helps explain why right-wing populism persists despite its negative effects on democracy and economic growth and how that vicious circle could be broken.

The model designed by Professor Rapoport shows how increasing the proportion of highly qualified migrants in an economy causes a decline in the populist vote, both because of its positive impact and because they contribute to improving the perception of the indigenous population of the migratory phenomenon, especially during episodes of economic crisis or deindustrialization.

“The far-right populism that floods an anti-immigration discourse actually leads to a very small decline in migrants, while having a very negative influence on the proportion of skilled migrants,” Rapoport explains.

“In fact, the expert points out, there are countries where this negative effect has also been on the qualified native population, which feels “expelled” by these speeches, increasing the emigration of these people, especially young and highly educated.”

“Diversity is productive. The greater the diversity of origin of migrants, the better for the economy.”

Elma Saiz has agreed with the expert on the importance of designing effective policies that attract international talent. “Xenophobic speeches only manage to scare away the most qualified people because they prefer to go to countries where they are treated well. On the contrary, our migration policy has among its priorities the attraction of international talent.” In this regard, Saiz has recalled the improvements made in the Immigration Regulations to facilitate the processing of study stays and the fast track aimed at foreign students affected by the recent immigration restrictions imposed in the United States.

The fast track of access to the Spanish university system EduBridge to Spain has already been approved in the Council of Ministers and will be accompanied by an international information and orientation campaign aimed at interested students, which will be articulated mainly through embassies and consulates, as well as the Ministry of Education in the United States and the different public universities with agreements with American universities.

Links to this third ‘Coffee with Science:

Youtube:  https://youtu.be/8OjMkeZ2cxE

X: https://x.com/inclusiongob/status/1952628592732442830

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DM9uoemPpLd/