Books Professor Ian Goldin

Books Exceptional People

Exceptional People: How Migration Shaped our World and Will Define our Future (Princeton University Press, 2011)

by Ian Goldin, Geoffrey Cameron and Meera Balarajan

Throughout history, migrants have fueled the engine of human progress. Their movement has sparked innovation, spread ideas, relieved poverty, and laid the foundations for a global economy. In a world more interconnected than ever before, the number of people with the means and motivation to migrate will only increase. Exceptional People looks at the profound advantages that such dynamics will have for countries and migrants the world over. Challenging the received wisdom that a dramatic growth in migration is undesirable, the book proposes new approaches for governance that will embrace this international mobility.

View publisher's webpage | Purchase on Amazon.com | Purchase on Amazon.co.uk

Reviews and endorsements:

"This is a book of bold ambitions ably fulfilled. Mr. Goldin and his co-authors offer a history of migration, from man's earliest wanderings in Africa to the present day. . . . After filling in the historical background, the authors give a rigorous but readable guide to the costs and benefits of modern migration."--The Economist

"[A]n essential read . . . [the authors'] arguments are buttressed by a deep understanding of the past, a comprehensive engagement with the present, and a clear vision of the future." -- Sarah Hackett, Times Higher Education

"In Exceptional People, the authors carry out an evenhanded assessment of the costs and benefits of international migration. They find that all involved--the countries that receive immigrants, those that send them, and immigrants most of all--prosper when movement across borders is allowed without hindrance. Anti-immigration campaigners who consult Exceptional People will encounter hard-to-refute arguments that favor free movement; advocates of open borders will find in the book the data and reasoning they need to fortify their case." -- Karunesh Tuli, ForeWord Reviews

"Goldin's conclusion is that western governments should simply accept the inevitable and open their borders, in line with economic demand--albeit within the framework of some pan-national treaty and institution. After all, as he points out, it is odd that there is no global body to oversee the movement of people, as there is with finance and trade. If that liberalization occurred, he thinks it would deliver an 'economic boost as high as $39,000bn over 25 years'. More surprisingly, he also argues that a 'tipping point' will be reached soon, which could shift the political debate. As world population levels stabilize in the next 50 years, a global labor shortage could prompt fierce competition for migrants." -- Gillian Tett, Financial Times

"Exceptional People is an absorbing study albeit academic. It strongly advocates the need to establish a global migration agenda and clearly shows that the advantages of migration far outweigh the disadvantages: Migration Shaped Our World and Will Define Our Future."-- Arab News

"Exceptional People is an excellent book. It would make a great addition to readings lists for graduate and advanced undergraduate courses dealing extensively with migration. Its wide scope will provide plenty of ideas for new academic projects, and its conclusions invite reflection and further discussion."-- Chris Minns, EH.net

"Migratory movements have been a persistent component of the human condition, and motivation for migration has varied considerably over time and with respect to the world's constantly shifting political and economic realities. This excellent book provides a broad history of migration. . . . required reading for anyone interested in the future implications of this most compelling of human activities."-- Choice

"Exceptional People is packed with surprising insights. . . . this is a book of bold ambitions ably fulfilled."-- Daily Star, Bangladesh

Review in Journal of Regional Science James Raymer, Australian Demographic and Social Research Institute, Australian National University

Review by Aristide R. Zolberg, Walter Eberstadt Professor of Politics and History Emeritus, New School for Social Research New York City

Review in  Journal of Human Development and Capabilities,  Ronald Skeldon, Department of Geography, University of Sussex

More reviews (Princeton University Press website)

Interviews and Press coverage:

The story of migration: Goldin talks U.S. dynamism and immigrant innovation
The Chautauquan Daily, July 18, 2015

How Migration Shaped Our World
Public Radio Exchange (PRX), July 17, 2015

More immigration – but managed much better. That’s what the UK needs
The Guardian, November 9, 2014

The merits of migration flows
China Daily, April 25, 2014

The Today Programme - interview on migration
BBC Radio 4, October 5, 2013

Speech at UN High Level Delegation on International Migration and Development
New York, 3 October 2013

What are the biggest misundertstandings about migration?
Backlight Talks, 20 September 2013

"We hebben nieuwkomers hard nodig" (interview in Dutch)
One World, no 7, September 2013

Exceptional People
European Journal of Development Research, 2013 25, 657-8

Book Summary: Exceptional People
Get Abstract, June 2013

How Migration Shaped Our World and Will Define Our Future
Ian Goldin talks to Hein de Haas of the International Migration Institute (video) 08/04/13

De toekomst komt uit Afrika (The future comes from Africa)
Backlight VPRO (Dutch) Television documentary featuring Ian Goldin 23/02/13

Migration's mighty steps
Radio New Zealand 19/11/2012

Immigrant nations
ABC Late Night Live (Australia) 10/10/12

Migration has helped great cities such as Venice and London to flourish, yet the topic remains an issue for nervous governments
LSE Review of Books 08/08/2012

Harnessing immigrant mobility means prosperity for all Canadians
The Globe and Mail, Canada 14/05/2012

Exceptional People
Liberales (article in Flemish) 2/04/112

Verliert nicht den Mut (Don't lose courage)
Die Zeit (article in German) 08/03/12

The migrant as economic chess piece
Le monde diplomatique March 2012

Exceptional People wins PROSE book award
February 2012

Books of the Year: Page-turners
The Economist 10/12/11

Exceptional People
E (article in Greek) 20/11/11

The Gains and Losses of Migration
EuropeanVoice.com 10/11/2011

New Demographics 2011: Colliding forces
Financial Times 18/10/11

Ideas Bank Boost the economy: let in immigrants
Wired 01/11/11

Laurie Taylor interviews Professor Ian Goldin about 'Exceptional People'
BBC Radio 4 Thinking Allowed 12/10/11

More migrants please, especially the clever ones
The Independent 11/10/2011

Top 20 Foreign Policy Books of the Year 2011
Embassy, Canada's Foreign Policy Newspaper

Rethinking Migration
Cities of Migration Website, September2011

Book review: Exceptional People
Arab News, 08/09/11

È tempo di migrare (radio interview)
Radio 3 Scienza, 31/08/11

En verden i bevægelse
Weekendavise, 12/08/11

More immigrants are in Canada's national interest
The Globe and Mail, 04/08/11

Dragon, eagle, elephant and black swan
Asia Times, 28/07/11