Immigration and Work - Research Proposal Example

Immigration and Work This paper will discuss about immigration and work based on the following thesis ment. Thesis ment Immigration depresses the labor opportunity for the local citizens and at the same token; it represents modern slavery and causes social, culture, tradition, economy, and political disruption. Organization of the research paper The organization of this paper will encompass the Introduction and three themes. The three themes are Globalization, Immigration and Work, and Social Disruption. Introduction There is no doubt that war increases the flow of immigrants. From the war torn countries, the people are being transferred to another countries to secure their livelihood. Usually, they are transported to western countries which are involving in the countries to help fighting the rebels or the guerillas, keep the peace, establish or rebuild law and order within the countries, and strengthen the countries’ state leadership. Globalization as well increases immigration flow from one country to another as companies are seeking for cheaper labor. This globalization, which was common during the middle European era, has emerged by creating human labor as commodity. Backing by the state through its immigration rules and regulation, even the world body of International Labor Organization, labor organizations are selling and purchasing human commodities at the open global market. Globalization Some scholars define globalization as a process of operating or delivering business or services in foreign countries. Yet, traditionally, modern globalization is started when companies in the western world, such as General Motors of the USA, perceive that developing countries are the dumping ground for obsolete technology and outdate products. It represents a modern commercial revolution. Over time, this commercial revolution is widely spread across manufacturing industries and an incrementalism approach toward privatization has changed in the way government delivers its foreign policy. This modern commercial revolution brings in a new system of economic combination between capitalism and mercantilism. Capitalism, according to Burns, Lerner & Meacham (1984), is “a system of production, distribution, and exchange, in which accumulated wealth is invested by private owners for the sake of gain. Its essential features are private enterprise, competition for markets, and business for profit… a system designed to encourage commercial expansion beyond the local level, on a national international scale… a system designed to reward the individual” (p. 544-545). Mercantilist, on the contrary is a doctrine that emphasizes on government direct intervention in economic policy in order to “increase the general prosperity of the state” (ibid p. 545) but government intervention is intended for the expansion of the state power. This system believes that the economic well being of the communities is depending on their willingness to do the work assigned by God or their rulers and to benefit the society as a whole. Men and women are assigned into the communities and given the privilege while the poor is being protected solely on the basis of unfair prices and starvation (ibid). Among the mercantilist theorists, they believe that the state’s power depends on the wealth of its natural resources. The greater its natural resources are, the wealthier the state is. For this reason, this new economic system encourages the government to import less and export as much as possible while expanding the state power by developing colonies overseas. The mercantilists believe that colonies are part of the communities and they would provide the state with raw materials and precious metals, which could have been obtained from out side of the communities, and they could be used by the state to increase industrial production and to increase the state income. Under mercantilist system, domestic consumption of the colonies are discouraged (Rosen Boothe, Dahlby & Smith, 1999: Burns, Lerner & Meacham, 1984; Carson, 1998), wages are kept low (Carson, 1998; Burns, Lerner & Meacham, 1984) so that labor cannot have disposable income but simply for food and shelter and export as much as possible to increase the state income (Burns, Lerner & Meacham, 1984). The goal of the capitalism is, according to Burns, Lerner & Meacham (1984) to enrich individuals while that of mercantilist is to make the state powerful. Although different in ideology, the combination of capitalism and mercantilism has created a new commercial revolution in which government and entrepreneurs are working side by side to expand individual wealth and state power globally through commercialization. The commercial revolution that is now called as globalization has two elements. Firms are piggyback on government power and raise fund to increase capital for global investment in the new colonies or developing countries. Prices of domestic goods are made higher than the prices of imported goods. Domestic productions are survived by government subsidy as they have to compete with import productions. Prices of agriculture products are even raised higher that it stagnates the economy. A combination of low wages and higher prices retard domestic economy rather than produce economic growth. Homeless and beggars are decorating city streets, the alleys, and in crowded places. And labor organizations are purchasing labors from developing countries and selling them to the wealthy citizens or residents at market price. But nothing comes without price. Human commodities represent lucrative enterprise. In the United States alone, the Immigration and Work During the summit about immigration is driving America’s demographic change, Hernandez, one of the summit speakers said that “The new American majority will consist of a mosaic of diverse, nonwhite race and ethnic groups from around the world” (Farberman, 2006, 40) while another speaker, Pipher said it is because the American citizens are reluctant to perform labors at cheaper rate. Vasil’yeva (2006) even says “unemployed national workers are unwilling to fill low-status jobs because of poor pay” (p. 5) but the Adam Smith (2004) argues that the driving force behind the globalization and human commodities, even privatization is the interest of money. In the Bible it says, “The love of money is root of all evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). In addition, international migration bearing the analysts’ prediction of labor shortage is just another scheme of privatization, as described by Khoo, Voigt-Graf, McDonald and Hugo (2004) because firms who are participating in this scheme obtains financial and non-financial benefits provided by the government. Collaboration is a key toward success as partners are sharing knowledge and resources (Austin, 2000) and to reduce cost (de Bettignies & Ross, 2004) although it is for private interest and achieved at the price of the nation. Business, military, and government are holding hands in hands to promote each other’s interest for money as industrious nations are expanding their territories by promoting the military interest, hence expanding the colonies of the state (Smith, 1998) while commercial revolution has created almost every facet of live including human life as commodities which one can purchase or sell at the open market and at market price. White (1999) argues that collaboration is an artificial civilization because it encourages evil and destroys sound principles, and causes us to embrace fashion and make war with customs and tradition. As businesses are thriving on cost savings and greater profits (de Bettignies & Ross, 2004) through collaborations, industrious nations are advancing in acquiring wealth (Smith, 1998) by exploiting the poor countries and their people, hence by sacrificing their own fellow citizens at the expense of the general population. Social Disruption Borjas and Freeman (1992) discuss about this international migration on the basis of facts and quantitative research but fail to address the social, political, and economic causes and impacts of this movement on the society as a whole. Human commodities represent lucrative enterprises and as commodities, they are modern slaves. Some are sold and purchased legally through immigration process but others are processed through illegal market. Peter Staker, the author of Workers without Frontiers: The impact of globalization on international migration, says globalization will increase the mobilization of human labor rather than that of goods and services. Labor industry has become one of the most lucrative industries in the global market. Operating under non-profit establishment, in the United States, one organization can even make about US $5 billion annually or in Spain, they can make about US $3 billion per year. This movement offsets the industry to increase the use the traffic of people from the poor countries as the advanced countries market is demanding cheaper labor and has caused social and economic disruptions in both the country of their origin and the advanced country where they are being sold to. As a lucrative industry, some people are even lured to abandon their families and their communities and encouraged to find work in other countries. Though they have to perform rude labor or work as modern salves, they have no reluctance be traded between countries and to take on cheaper pay. However, as the modern slaves, they are the losers in our society, says Staker. Yes, they do not simply disappear but seek somewhere else to go for better job and higher earnings, which are the prime reasons and trends in labor migration today. Staker gives several numbers of earning people make in their own countries compare to the earning they make in other countries. For example, in 1996 International Labor Organization conducted a survey among the Mexican labors. They found that the people made US $31 per week in their own country but in the United States, they made about US $278 per week. In 1997 as well, its survey in Indonesia indicated that a labor made US $.28 per day but in Malaysia, they could earn about US $22. Similarly, in 1995, its survey indicated that these modern slave made US $.25 in India and China, US $.46 in Thailand, US $.60 in Russia, US $1.70 in Hungary, and US $2.09 in Poland but could make US $13.77 in the United Kingdom, or US $14.40 in Australia, US $16.03 in Canada, US $17.20 in the United States, US $23.66 in Japan, and US $31.88 in Germany (International Labor Organization, 2000). As global migration is increasing by size and diversity of age, race, and level of education, it causes migration flows to become more complex and diverse (Staker in International Labor Organization, 2000). From several countries that engage in international labor migration, up to 2000, the number of country involves in this activities have increased to 152 (International Labor Organization, 2000) – either through legal or illegal process and from the promise to make big money to financing lubricant. Bolivian bus companies and other labor organizations, for example, according to the International Labor Organization’s 2000 report, lend money to the migrants so that they can leave the country to find work in other countries with a contract that they would repay them the loan with 10% fees. These migrants are not reluctant to receive lower wages and from country to country, they tend to be hired in highly concentrated sector (Staker in International Labor Organization, 2000). On the contrary, the increase migration from developing countries to developed countries contracting the opportunity of the locals to earn income accordingly as businesses are reducing costs. They have to struggle to reduce their quality of life and adopt a lower standard of living such as the 59,000 Ford employees who have to sell their assets and move in a smaller and compact residence and crowded neighborhood because they are losing employment. Conclusion Unfortunately, this international labor migration is only a social and economic political scheme of privatization of labor. The irony is, while the market considers its needs for these modern slaves or unskilled labor are increasing, in response to its prediction of labor shortage, the locals are also migrating to other countries searching for employment and taking advantage of their knowledge but at the same time, they are facing with a new reality in which the developing countries are limit the age of applicants. This makes migration to become more diverse and complex. References Austin, J. (2000). The Collaboration Challenge. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Baker, S. G. (1994, March). 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International and national regulation of migrant workers and lessons to be learnt from migrant worker programmes in the United States of America and Germany. UNIVERSITY OF TARTU LAW FACULTY. Retrieved February 26, 2008 from http://www.ut.ee/Ural/ariste/loputood/M.Vassiljeva.BA.pdf Read More