International ethics Assignment

Running Head: INTERNATIONAL ETHICS
International ethics
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1INTERNATIONAL ETHICS
Dialogue topic:"Welcoming refugees sounds good in theory, but in practice, it will lead to the
wealthy nations being over-run by the poor of the world."
John: How pathetic!
Jerry: What are you talking about John?
John: Nearly 1 million people have left Venezuela and entered Colombia since the government
of President Nicolas Maduro’s government has descended into crisis last year.
Jerry: why are people leaving Venezuela?
John: According to the news, economic crisis along with a rising amount of Healthcare issue is
two the chief reasons for individuals leaving their motherland and entering Colombia. However,
the government of Colombia is preventing further entry of immigrants. Where will these helpless
people go now?
Jerry: Honestly, I think this is only one side of the coin, John. Since a huge number of refugees is
travelling from Venezuela to Colombia, this is bound to impose a negative impact on the
economic condition of the host country. Moreover, refugees prefer wealthy countries over
another poverty stricken county to obtain shelter from. You remember the Syria incident? More
than 80 percent of the Syrian refugees are found to prefer taking refuge under the government of
Lebanon over that of Israel or Iraq.
John: Is not this quite normal? Wealthy countries have the ability to provide better
accommodation and safer environment compared to the financially weaker nations. The Syrian
individuals have already gone through a traumatic situation. Hence, it is quite normal that they

2INTERNATIONAL ETHICS
will look for a safer accommodation so that no further physical or psychological traumatic
situation is evidenced by them.
Jerry: This is true. But if you think from the perspective of wealthy countries, you will be able to
point out several disadvantages that the host countries have to face when they offer residence to
the refugees. Especially, a highly negative impact is imposed on the economy of host country
who offers residence to the refugees. For example, the Chinese government claims that being the
country with the highest population, China has implemented the one-child policy for the
development of their own country (Birman et al. 2014). Hence the country lacks in space when it
comes to providing shelter to the refugees. Moreover, the Chinese government also stated that
they are aware of the increasing amount of criminal activities performed by the refugees in the
European countries. The increment in criminal activities and law violation will definitely impose
a negative impact on the economy of the company. Moreover, on average, a developed country
like Lebanon spends 119,000 dollars per asylum seeker each year, and it usually takes years to
settle one refugee (Wike, Stokes and Simmons 2016). Now as we know that no financial
participation is expected from the immigrants, the whole financial expense is born by the citizens
of the host country. This means that host countries' taxpayers are left to pay the hefty toll.
John: Well, to be practical, the fact, you just stated cannot be ignored. However, I can point out a
positive impact of offering residence to refugees on the economy of a developed nation.
According to a national survey, the majority of the developed country are suffering from the
ageing population (Carpio and Wagner 2015).
Jerry: Well, how is this fact related to benefits of incorporating immigrant in a developed
country?

3INTERNATIONAL ETHICS
John: Aging population automatically reduces the work efficiency of a population. As a result of
this, the overall productivity of the country decreases which in turn results in a decrement in the
overall revenue of the country. This issue can be easily solved by providing shelter to the
refugees. Immigrants usually start with low skilled jobs in the host country due to the language
barrier. However, once settled down, they moved to more advanced positions. Moreover, since
the immigrants provide effort at a lower salary compared to the employees of the host country,
organizations are able to both enhance their overall revenue and decrease their organizational
costs. Thus the overall revenue of the country gets increased (Tumen 2016). One of the most
common examples of Immigrant dependant country is Germany. Currently, the mentioned nation
is facing issues due to serious demographical issues due to shrinking and ageing population. The
country now depends on immigrants when it comes to filling the working-age population as well
as stabilizing the state pension system as more Germans retire.
Jerry: I can’t completely agree with your thoughts, John. When we are talking employment of
refugees in the host countries, we cannot ignore the fact that several countries like Lebanon
suffers from unemployment issues due to the high recruitment of refugees in companies of the
host countries. As you mentioned, immigrants offer to provide effort at a lower salary compared
to the locals, organizations tend to prefer immigrants over locals for job roles considering the
cost and efficiency. This, in turn, enhances the unemployment rate in the host countries
(Burchardi and Hassan 2013). Higher the unemployment, higher will be the economic crisis,
right?
John: Well, the fact you stated is right, but, several countries of Europe including Germany
believes that immigrants are not burdens as they play a crucial role in creating new jobs. Studies
have shown, the majority of immigrants, instead of waiting for a job, tends to open small

4INTERNATIONAL ETHICS
businesses in the host country. As a result of this, the country is able to enhance its overall
revenue without suffering from the negative impact of unemployment.
Jerry: Well, when it comes to the impact of immigrants on wealthy countries, I do agree that
immigrant can enhance the economy of the wealthy country. Majority of migrants who have
taken shelter in the UK are of working age. This decreases the dependency ratio and enhances
the potential output capacity of the economy. However, the fact that unskilled employers,
especially who are immigrants are most vulnerable can be denied. Moreover, the number of
employment of unskilled workers is much higher compared to the decrement in the wages. For
instance, in Germany, it has been found that while the rise in the share of migrants working in
menial jobs that includes cleaning and plumbing has increased up to 10 percent, the decrement in
the wages for such position has been recorded to be by merely 2 percent (Bakker, Dagevos and
Engbersen 2014). Along with that, a good number of refugees who arrived in the wealthy
countries are elderly individuals. Being old, these individuals lack the efficiency to work for the
host country. As a result, the host country has to bear the expense of the pensioner which in turn
results in a decrement of the revenue of the country. Besides that, it has been found that
individuals who have taken refuge in Australia pay less amount of tax while receiving better
facilities compared to the natives of the nation. A study of Australian refugees found that they
paid less tax than they received in benefits for their first 15-20 years of residency.
John: Not only that, the net inflow of immigrants results in an increment of the aggregate
demand. Refugees are found to enhance the overall spending within the economy. Moreover, the
increment in the supply of labor results in an increment in the demand for labors. As a result, the
overall GDP of the host country is increased. Apart from that, due to enhancement in the number
of refugees in the UK, the labor market of UK has gained flexibility. For instance, the large flow

5INTERNATIONAL ETHICS
of immigrants in the UK helps to meet their demand for semi-skilled jobs that includes plumbers
and builders. The government has also sought to attract migrants from various countries to meet
shortfalls in job vacancies in key public sector jobs, such as nursing (Cagaptay and Menekse
2014).
Jerry: In spite of all these advantages, the UK government has recently stated that they are
experiencing a fall of living standard due to a shortage of space in the UK. Due to a huge number
of immigrants in the UK, the country is already experiencing a shortage of space. Not only that,
the rapidly increasing population is imposing a negative impact on the environment of the
mentioned nation. In several cities of UK, it is difficult to build roads due to limited space. The
UNHCR stated that refugee-affected areas may face the issues of enhanced soil erosion,
pollution, deforestation as well as depletion in the water sources (Desmet and Rossi-Hansberg
2015). Excessive damage to the environment not only hampers the lifestyle of the refugees but
also enhance the competitiveness of the refugees with the natives over the natural resources.
Therefore it can be understood that enhancement in the economy of the nation is coming at the
cost of deterioration in the living standard of the natives.
John: Well, in the ninetieth century, individuals are already worried about overcrowding.
Moreover, higher density in population has a lower impact on the environment if the government
can implement effective strategies and invest in more advanced technologies to prevent
population. For instance, countries like Belgium have denser population compared to that of UK.
However, Belgium is able to maintain its living standard as well as environmental pollution rate
by implementing efficient technologies. Since enhancement in the number of immigrants results
in an increment in the growth of the economy, the government of UK can invest a good amount
of money to deal with the issues you just mentioned.

6INTERNATIONAL ETHICS
Jerry: According to the researchers, by the end of 2019, it is estimated that refugees in European
countries will add approximately 0.19 percent of GDP to public expenditure (Loescher and
Milner 2013). However, due to a higher amount of joblessness in the refugees, the
unemployment rate of the European Union will get enhanced. Refugees are found to strain the
service system of the host countries. These strains occur during the task of processing as well as
receiving and integrating them into the host country. Some of the fields where strain takes place
due to refugees include healthcare, housing, food, education, water and utilities. In Turkey, the
decline of the quality of education and healthcare services have a direct link with the
enhancement of Syrian refugees in the nation. When it comes to the European Union, the
situation is somewhat similar. According to IMF, the refugees will costs the mentioned nation
about 0.1 percent of the GDP in average (Taylor et al. 2016).
John: But as I said earlier, once the refugees get settled, they will result in enhancement of GDP.
Jerry: Well, the long-term advantages come with the short-term disadvantages. The residents of
Wealthy nations suffer from high taxation since they have to bear the whole expense of the
refugees. This along with increment in unemployment rate shakes the stability of the economy of
the host countries. Moreover, overcrowding can be considered as another major issue which has
an indirect impact on the developed nations. When hundreds and thousands of individual arrive
and concentrate in a certain region, there prevails the risk of spreading various types of diseases
within a very short period of time.
John: Well. I do agree with you. Recently, a newspaper report stated that overcrowding in UN
has turned the refugee camps into a squalid encampment teeming with diseases like Hepatitis,
malaria, Jaundice, Cholera and other diseases. In such cases, it falls under the responsibilities of

7INTERNATIONAL ETHICS
the host countries to provide necessary treatment and take necessary measures to prevent the
spreading of diseases and death of refugees from them. Now, I hope you can understand it does
cost lots of money to arrange medical services for thousands of individuals. The whole cot of the
healthcare as well as provision of proper accommodation is provided by the healthcare
government. This not only has a direct impact on the economy of the host country but also
impose a long-term impact on maternal as well as early childhood health.
Jerry: Not only the healthcare system, I can point out another area of a nation that gets severely
affected due to the refugees. Due to lack of physical space, refugees are found to crowd out
natives in local economic markets and as a result, major distortion in price takes place. Australia,
for instance, has seen dramatic enhancement in the rental prices of housing as a result of the
refugee crisis. Several cases are found where landlords have kicked out native residents who
have lower income for a refugee who has offered more money to him. Along with that, in
Tanzania, food prices have found to be increased due to the Syrian Refuges. While this is
imposing a positive impact on the local food produces, the sufferings of the local consumers
have got enhanced.
John: This type of contradictory actions bears the potential for conflict among the native and
refugees which can impose an immense negative impact on the political environment of the host
country. And as we all know, political deterioration has the potential to give birth to economic
deterioration.
Jerry: Exactly. Refugee crisis may lead to disruptive negative impact economic impact that can
emerge as a result of potential civil conflict and societal strife. Immigrants may enhance the
potential for internal conflict with the host nation. The social, cultural, political and religious

8INTERNATIONAL ETHICS
beliefs of the refuges may contradict with that of the natives an as a result conflict may take
place. Conflicts will certainly impose a negative impact on the economy of the host country.
John: I can totally understand your concern, Jerry. I admit that welcoming refugees does impose
negative impact during the initial stage. However, both economic and social outcomes of
providing shelter to refugees have been impressive in the long run. According to a survey, the
average relocation cost per refugee is 15,148 dollars and the cost of social benefits paid to them
is approximately 92,217 dollars (Maystadt and Verwimp2014). However, when it comes to the
average tax paid by the refugees, it is nearly 128,689 dollars, which is much greater than the
money invested in them. Moreover, it has been found that refugees who arrived as children in the
US have higher school enrollment compared to that of the native children. Not only that, in spite
of the fact that majority of the adult refugees within the age range of 18 to 45, when arrives at us
are less educated and less fluent in English, after six years in the mentioned country, they
develops better capabilities than the natives and are found to have higher employment rate,
although lower earnings
Jerry: I think, the impact of refugees on the host countries really depends on how the country
deals with them. A recent statistics of Canada shows that refugee children have outperformed
their Canadian counterparts in both high school and universities (Ruiz and Vargas-Silva 2013).
While 91 percent of the of students who have arrived in Canada between 200 to 2005 graduated
high school, 88 percent of the natives were capable of pass the high school. When it comes to
university graduation, the gap widened to 35.9 percent. Hence it can be understood that
immigrants have the potential to bring prosperity to the host country. Refugees impose a better
impact on the economy of the host country if they are allowed to work before their cases get
settled. However, this often takes a long time. Hence wealthy countries should incorporate

9INTERNATIONAL ETHICS
strategies to help the immigrant to settle down so that they can create economic value by
working and can alleviate the economic burden of the host country.

10INTERNATIONAL ETHICS
Reference List
Bakker, L., Dagevos, J. and Engbersen, G., 2014. The importance of resources and security in
the socio-economic integration of refugees. A study on the impact of length of stay in asylum
accommodation and residence status on socio-economic integration for the four largest refugee
groups in the Netherlands. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 15(3), pp.431-
448.
Birman, D., Simon, C.D., Chan, W.Y. and Tran, N., 2014. A life domains perspective on
acculturation and psychological adjustment: A study of refugees from the former Soviet Union.
American Journal of Community Psychology, 53(1-2), pp.60-72.
Burchardi, K.B. and Hassan, T.A., 2013. The economic impact of social ties: Evidence from
German reunification. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 128(3), pp.1219-1271.
Cagaptay, S. and Menekse, B., 2014. The impact of Syria’s refugees on southern
Turkey. Washington Institute For Near East Policy, 1.
Del Carpio, X.V. and Wagner, M.C., 2015. The impact of Syrian refugees on the Turkish labor
market.
Desmet, K. and Rossi-Hansberg, E., 2015. On the spatial economic impact of global
warming. Journal of Urban Economics, 88, pp.16-37.
Loescher, G. and Milner, J., 2013. Protracted refugee situations: Domestic and international
security implications. Routledge.
Maystadt, J.F. and Verwimp, P., 2014. Winners and losers among a refugee-hosting
population. Economic development and cultural change, 62(4), pp.769-809.

11INTERNATIONAL ETHICS
Ruiz, I. and Vargas-Silva, C., 2013. The economics of forced migration. The Journal of
Development Studies, 49(6), pp.772-784.
Taylor, J.E., Filipski, M.J., Alloush, M., Gupta, A., Valdes, R.I.R. and Gonzalez-Estrada, E.,
2016. Economic impact of refugees. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 113(27),
pp.7449-7453.
Tumen, S., 2016. The economic impact of Syrian Refugees on host countries: Quasi-
Experimental evidence from Turkey. American Economic Review, 106(5), pp.456-60.
Wike, R., Stokes, B. and Simmons, K., 2016. Europeans fear wave of refugees will mean more
terrorism, fewer jobs. Pew Research Center, 11, p.2016.