Old idea, new math

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Forget about trade liberalization says Lant Pritchett suggesting a far more beneficial trade off:

If rich countries were to permit a mere 3 percent increase in the size of their labor force by easing restrictions on labor mobility, the benefits to citizens of poor countries would be $305 billion a year—almost twice the combined annual benefits of full trade liberalization ($86 billion); foreign aid ($70 billion) and debt relief (about $3 billion in annual debt service savings).

Some say there's nothing more permanent than temporary workers. How will this belief square with the growing need for a young, tax-paying labor force?


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