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In the Balance: Economics Without Borders?

Economics...without borders?

19/09/2015 GMT

Economics Without Borders?

BBC World Service - In the Balance, Economics Without Borders?

Are EU countries right not to let refugees in, or are they missing an economic trick?

Are there good economic reasons for EU nations to take in refugees? Or, are EU countries such as Hungary and Poland right to resist mass refugee migration into their economies?

Are EU countries such as Hungary and Poland right to resist mass refugee migration into their economies or are they missing a trick? We hear from the former Finance Minister of Poland Jacek Rostowski about why he thinks taking in large numbers of refugees is not a good option for his country. Meanwhile professor Alexander Betts, of the Refugee Studies Centre in Oxford, tells us his research shows that if refugees are allowed to work, they can make a huge positive contribution to the economy into which they settle. They are joined by former economic adviser to the US government Diana Furchtgott-Roth and Tania Kaiser of School of Oriental and African Studies to discuss the economic pros and cons of allowing refugees in. 

(Photo: Migrants and refugees wait to cross the Greece-Macedonia border, 13 September 2015. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

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