ABSTRACT
The aim of this book has been to draw together a wide range of contributions reflecting the experiences and impact of migration in a number advanced capitalist economies in an era of globalisation and in a period when, almost universally, state policies have focused on restricting migration and limiting the rights of entry of refugees. The contributors examine migration from the perspectives of migrants and refugees themselves. It is their needs, and consequently the obligations of host countries to respond to them, that the contributors address. Migration is explored not just as an economic and political necessity but also as a valuable contribution to the cultural and social development of any society. Migrants and refugees are therefore not just to be seen as ‘huddled masses’ seeking twenty-first-century destinations but as potentially the most dynamic elements in societies that are seeking to advance in all respects. Thus, the book celebrates migration as something that is capable of enriching host communities economically and culturally. But to achieve this end migrants and refugees need guarantees to work, welfare and security. These are all too often denied to them, as the contributors to the following chapters demonstrate.
