New Publication on ‘Immigrants and Refugees in the Skill Systems of Middle-Income Countries’

IMEG member Merve Sancak’s book chapter ‘Immigrants and Refugees in the Skill Systems of Middle-Income Countries’ has been recently published by Oxford University Press as part of the volume Skills, Values, and Development: The Political Economy of Education in Latin America, edited by Juan Bogliaccini and Aldo Madariaga.

The chapter examines the impact of international migration on the skill systems of middle-income countries (MICs), with a particular focus on Latin America. It highlights that while labour migration has been extensively studied in the context of high-income countries, the unique dynamics of refugee influxes—in addition to those of more traditional labor migration—in MICs require distinct analytical frameworks. MICs often host large numbers of refugees due to sudden geopolitical crises, such as the Venezuelan exodus in Latin America and Syrian refugees in Turkey and Lebanon, which pose different challenges compared to the more controlled labor migration flows to high-income countries. Empirically, the chapter compares responses and illustrates the varied impacts of Venezuelan migration on national skill systems and labor markets in Colombia, Peru, Chile, and Argentina, as well as the Syrian refugees in Turkey. It emphasises the need for policies that address both immediate humanitarian needs and long-term economic integration.