Beyond Brexit: The Policy and Political Lessons for Immigration-Anxious Countries

The United Kingdom’s vote to exit the European Union has given new momentum to euroskeptic, nationalist, and anti-immigration movements elsewhere in Europe. While many of the policy impacts of the referendum will not be known for a while yet, the vote has pointed, in stunning fashion, to the rising public anxiety over immigration levels and concerns over governments' ability to manage flows and foster successful immigrant integration.

It has also called into question the role of the European Union more broadly—and other multilateral institutions—as responsible and effective actors in managing the most difficult immigration challenges. At a time when emotional appeals resonate far more powerfully than facts, Brexit also amounts to a warning to policymakers across the globe: restoring public trust will require deep changes in how migration is not only managed, but communicated.

On this webinar, MPI Europe President Demetrios Papademetriou, who is also President emeritus of MPI, and experts associated with MPI’s Transatlantic Council on Migration discuss the political and policy lessons that can be learned from Brexit and applied to debates in both Europe and North America, including how to address concerns over immigration, identity, and immigrant integration while managing migration in a globalized economy. The discussion also touched on a Transatlantic Council report, Understanding and Addressing Public Anxiety About Immigration.