International migration

Jonathon Moses, Zed Books, 253 pages, paperback, £9.99

This book makes an elegant case in favour of the free mobility of people. Jonathon Moses argues that the growing mobility of capital has created political and economic inequalities which will only be resolved through the free migration of labour.

He explains that migration until the cusp of the 20th century was relatively easy. Since then borders, passports and visas have been erected to stymie the movement of peoples.

But the author believes this has had a detrimental effect. He argues that migration benefits both the host country, in terms of economic growth and public finance, and means there are fewer state controls and greater cultural mingling.

He also points out that the originating country benefits, in terms of remittances.

This is a timely argument, but also a deliberately provocative one. It challenges the conventional wisdom on immigration, helping to undercut the racism that is often behind debates on migrant workers.