Why read A Nation of Emigrants?

Book cover of A Nation of Emigrants: How Mexico Manages Its Migration

Book description

What do governments do when much of their population simply gets up and walks away? In Mexico and other migrant-sending countries, mass emigration prompts governments to negotiate a new social contract with their citizens abroad. After decades of failed efforts to control outflow, the Mexican state now emphasizes voluntary ties,…

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Why read it?

1 author picked A Nation of Emigrants as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Benjamin C. Montoya

Author

I love this book because it discusses the nebulous legal spaces migrants inhabit as they cross international borders.

First, despite credible borderlands scholarship that challenges the fixed and permanent nature of borders, this book shows that borders still matter–the sender nation loses human capital while the receiver nation gains human capital.

I also really like this book because it shows how governments of sender nations play a part in migration: their lax or stringent outbound migration requirements play a large part in determining if migrants choose to stay in host countries or repatriate.

From Benjamin's list on The best books to understand the complicated history of Mexican immigration to the United States.