Myths Behind Misguided Policies on Social and Economic Fronts

In a complex and chaotic world, people often gloss over the facts and jump to conclusions. Unfortunately, the hasty approach usually yields deficient and even harmful results. The domains affected range from migration and poverty to alienation and crime.

According to the Myth of Boon, for instance, immigrants always benefit the host society. In this light, many people envisage the great migrations of the 19th century from Europe to America. However, the United States at that stage was itself a developing country; moreover the Civil War showed that clashing cultures cannot co-exist.

Meanwhile the Myth of Multiculturalism asserts that a mashup of mores is always desirable; but the reality is otherwise. When immigrants in their millions pour into sparsely populated districts, they end up replicating the cultures that caused them to flee their homelands in the first place. The upshot is disruptive and distressing for all parties be they newcomers or incumbents.

In addition, the Myth of Virtue declares that migrants of all backgrounds are equally upright. Yet comprehensive studies in Sweden have shown that violent crimes can be traced to immigrants at rates which are at least four times those for natives. From another angle, a drove of migrants is a godsend for criminals. For instance, a terrorist ring struck in France in 2015 and again in Belgium the following year. The perpetrators – who grew up in Belgium, France and Sweden – displayed immigrant backgrounds and included part of the cohort that traveled to the Mideast to receive training from militants then returned to Europe by posing as refugees.

Since socioeconomic problems are intertwined rather than independent, a piecemeal approach will not fill the bill. Instead, a coherent grasp of the issues and their tie-ups is a prerequisite for devising a wholesome solution.


NOTE: The full report is a document in PDF form under the title of “Complex Factors Behind Misguided Policies in Socioeconomics”, may be downloaded from the Library at MintKit Core.


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Economic Cures for the Rampage of Migration, Alienation and Terrorism

A cogent approach to public policy based on economic principles could go a long way toward curing a slew of social problems ranging from mass migration and persistent alienation to rampant crime and wanton terrorism. To this end, the first step is to separate the nubs of fact from the sea of dross that confounds the public debate on social policy amongst elected officials as well as private citizens. After clearing away the muddle, the bugbears may be tackled through a coherent strategy based largely on a battery of economic mechanisms.

As a backdrop, the haphazard schemes of the policymakers to date have often exacerbated the problems in Western countries rather than mitigated the torments. An example lies in a shower of grants awarded to radical immigrants in the vain hope that the donations might prompt the recipients into scaling down their subversive activities. In actuality, though, the standard response of the dissidents is to accept the money as well as the imprimatur of official recognition by the government in order to bolster their own agenda in molding impressionable minds and prodding the converts into opposing Western values. The disruptive actions of the dissidents might be virtual, as in insisting that women must submit to men in every aspect of their lives. Or the noxious schemes may be tangible, as in coaxing the acolytes into committing flagrant acts of terrorism.

On the upside, though, a sensible government could and should take a coherent approach to migration and integration that pays heed to the profound differences in culture between the newcomers and the incumbents. In this way, the policymakers can field a suite of constructive programs to help the outlanders in a trenchant way in adjusting to their host countries and turning into productive members of the society at large. The ultimate aim is to devise a win-win strategy for the migrants as well as the natives.


Note: The full paper is a document in PDF form titled “Economic Solutions for the Social Problems of Mass Migration, Persistent Alienation and Wanton Terrorism”. The report is available at MintKit Library.

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