tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24800874.post5256870844686975457..comments2024-02-04T15:43:01.869-05:00Comments on Law at the End of the Day: The Values of Free Movement: Lessons for Globalization From the E.U.’s Experience With Free Movement of Capital and LaborLarry Catá Backerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06545101367530775497noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24800874.post-71629811740844003232006-11-03T10:28:00.000-05:002006-11-03T10:28:00.000-05:00Saam,
Let's hope that US is not going to get thro...Saam,<br /><br />Let's hope that US is not going to get through another "great depression" in our lifetime, because I am afraid that we will have to put it in the group of "less developed" nations in that case . <br /><br />Yes, I prefer different path.The coin always has two sides. And there is always more than one point of view in life. Lucky are those who have only seen one path in their lives!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24800874.post-16551881872242033372006-11-01T23:13:00.000-05:002006-11-01T23:13:00.000-05:00Diana
I retract my description of Lithuania, a co...Diana<br /><br />I retract my description of Lithuania, a country I unfortunately know little about, as "less developed." I hope that you accept "differently developed." <br /><br />I still hold that some place like Mississippi is "less developed" than Southern California, or that Bulgaria is less developed than the Congo... just kidding. This is without going into the definition of "development."<br /><br />I'm not exactly sure how i would categorize the US during the early 30s, but if I had to guess, i'd imagine it was probably less developed than much of Western Europe. So, if that is the case, then Yes, I would categorize the US during the depression as less developed relative to Western Europe. Or maybe you prefer developed along a different path?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12936532171163557882noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24800874.post-43609658907107082792006-11-01T09:51:00.000-05:002006-11-01T09:51:00.000-05:00It just occured to me. In my wild early twenties (...It just occured to me. In my wild early twenties (which are unfortunately over..) I used to live in London for a while. With an exploration purpose. I've always wanted to see London and when finally had the opportunity, it didn't take long for me to decide. And I know that apart from Eastern Europeans and people from the former Soviet Union, London is full of people from all over the world. Interestingly enough there are plenty of people living and working in UK, who are from: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and also US. A lot of them work as waiters, bartenders, etc. However, it never occured to me (and I think to anyone else either) to qualify them as "immigrant workers". I just thought of them as people who at that moment liked to live and work in UK and so they did. I have a very good German friend who I met during my time in London. She used to live there for a while and worked in a bagel shop. She was in her "rebelious" early twenties and did not want to live in Germany. After I left London, she relocated to Scotland because she has met a very nice German boy. So they lived there for quite a while, working similar kind of jobs. I don't think however, that she ever thought of herself as an "immigrant worker". I've never thought of her in this way either. For her this was just gaining a life experience. The rest of the people from Western Europe I met there also thought this way. They were young, curious, full of energy and wanted to try new things. So, they moved from one country to another (obviously unrestricted by visas - unlike the unfortunate Eastern Europeans..) and gained life experience. My German friend and her boyfriend got back to Germany (after many years of residing in the UK), got married and now have a cute little daughter. <br /><br />So, why is that when we see a Eastern European person (or one from the former Soviet Union) living and working in the UK, we immediately attach the label "immigrant worker"? Isn't it possible that this person, like their Western counterparts,just wants to explore the world while they are young and see and try new things? Well, it is a common logic that unless you are very rich, the exploration of the world while young would have to involve getting some kind of job, just to get by. So, what is that makes the Western youths different from the Eastern ones - the latter classified as "immigrant workers" and the former classified as just "exploring the world"? How much difference a document like visa makes in the eyes of the rest of the world? How much different are the young Western people from the young Eastern people?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24800874.post-50003531507531275802006-11-01T08:58:00.000-05:002006-11-01T08:58:00.000-05:00To Saam:
A small correction: Lithuania is not a "...To Saam:<br /><br />A small correction: Lithuania is not a "less developed nation". It is a nation that for variety of historic and political reasons took a different path of development. Which path ended in quite rough manner some few years ago and the aftermath of it still remains. The same applies to the rest of the former Soviet Union republics and the countries in Eastern Europe. I always thought it is rather arrogant statement on the part of Western Europe or US to classify these countries as "less developed". Would you have qualified the US during the great depression as a less developed country? <br /><br />By the way - the belief of the immigrant workers as to where it is possible to find jobs is fed by both first and second hand information. I find it a bit unrealistic that people who speak more than one foreign language would not be able to get accurate information from some kind of media source. Other immigrant workers who already have a job in the said country are also excellent source of quite reliable info. <br /><br />Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24800874.post-35848079594070513312006-10-30T23:33:00.000-05:002006-10-30T23:33:00.000-05:00Prof.
I hesitantly disagree with your assertion t...Prof.<br /><br />I hesitantly disagree with your assertion that an immigrants workers perception is irrelevant. Maybe I missed something, but if this natural labor selection is to work, the flow of accurate information seems key, at least to some degree. <br /><br />On one hand you have the immigrant from a less developed nation, Lithuania, the "have-nots" and on the other you have the Nation-State and the Trasnational Corp, the "haves."<br /><br />The Haves have excellent information. they know wage rates, living conditions, level of gov cooperation, defined source of capital, developed markets for their products, etc. The Haves have no need to perceive because they have a clear picture of what they have, what they need, and how to get it and who to get it from. <br /><br />The Have-Nots, on the other hand, have seemingly far less sources of information. knowing a culture and whether or not they will fit in based on popular media, e.g. "hip-hop," is often a misconception. I'm not saying that these people do not have the common sense to seek better info, just that often time the info available may not be accurate. I think of the popular saying in the early development of th US when Europeans were told that the streets were lined with gold. Other misconceptions could be the ease to save, to invest, to integrate, to educate, to avoid abuse, and, in general, a misconception about a wealth of opportunity. <br /><br />What you might end up with is not those whose risk versus reward ratio matches that of their potential new home country, but someone who is sorely mistaken as to what they are getting into. Someone could ultimately feel as though the absence of free time, time to develop themselves in non-financial ways was ultimately not worth it.<br /><br />As i type this i can also see the arguments against my point of view. The opportunity to return to one's hme country is relatively easy and those who leave the easy of a socialist state probably don't care as much about the nom-financial develop. Of course, as you said, empirical data necessary and these are merely a couple of people you met along your extensive travels.<br /><br />Ultimately though, I believe that perception is important and that an inaccurate perception leads to disatisfaction as much as increased utility from life.<br /><br />I'm tired. Off to bed. Good night.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12936532171163557882noreply@blogger.com