Hannes Wehnhardt is a master student in Economics and Management of Government and International Organisations at Bocconi University in Milan and an exchange student at the School of Transnational Governance of the European University Institute. A German by nationality, Hannes is interested into labour migration policies, skill shortage, and structural adjustment processes in the Federal […]

During the negotiations about a future coalition government in Germany, the trio consisting of Social Democrats, Greens, and Liberals have declared their intention to modernise skilled labour migration to Germany. The aim being twofold, a greater number of skilled workers and better conditions upon arrival. Is this enough? In this blogpost, I suggest that Germany’s […]

Severe shortages of health personnel provide a justification for the international community to support developing countries in their efforts to retain medical workers through improved local conditions. Our new research shows that aid for health as well as general efforts to foster economic growth indeed lead to lower emigration of medical workers. The effects are […]

Italian scholars have increasingly discussed whether and how the ongoing economic recession has affected the employment of migrant workforce (Bonifazi & Marini 2013; Pastore, Salis & Villosio 2013; Reyneri, 2010). Most of the questions concern home-care for elderly people, which is, traditionally, an important source of employment for foreign women (Picchi 2012; Semenza 2012; Qualificare […]

When EU countries visualise an ideal immigrant, a highly-skilled and educated immigrant comes to mind. For many, the highly-skilled and skilled represent the only ´legitimate´ form of immigration. EU immigration policy in its current form is characterised by three main dimensions: attracting highly-skilled workers, deterring irregular migration, and promoting the integration of third country nationals. […]