Written by Dominique Fourniol, Head of UCL Media Relations

Some 30 London-based foreign correspondents of media including El Pais of Spain, France’s Europe 1 and Xinhua of China came into UCL this week (10 February) for a briefing designed to shed some light on the often controversial topic of migration to the UK.

“UK migration: separating facts from fiction”, headed by Professor Christian Dustmann (UCL Economics and Director of the Centre for Research and Analysis for Migration), took place the day after the Swiss electorate voted to bring back quotas for EU migrants, underlining that this is a topical issue beyond the UK’s shores.

Professor Dustmann kicked off by stating that the briefing’s objective was to bring facts into a debate “that is often emotional and based on anecdotes rather than factual analysis.” His presentation set out how, since 1989, there has been global acceleration of migration, both across frontiers but also internally (notably China) and that if anything the UK’s percentage of migrants in the population is relatively modest in comparison with a range of OECD countries (at just over ten per cent), whereas today over one in four of the Swiss and Australian populations were born abroad. The UK is also among the smaller number of countries whose migrants are on average more highly educated than the native population.

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India’s human development rankings are struggling to keep up as the country rises through the per capita GDP rankings. At the UCL Lancet Lecture, Professor Jayati Ghosh set out an alternative public health-centred growth strategy to address the deepening divide. Kelly Clarke reports.

The dream
An increase in per capita income increases the amount of money available to spend on food. Governments have access to larger funds for public health programmes to improve basic health facilities, sanitation, education, housing, transport, etc, etc.

The Indian reality
Ghosh, one of the world’s leading economists, described how the Indian government is failing to synergise economic development with an improvement in basic health indicators. The reason: a lack of investment in public health.

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Despite some dispiriting statistics, Rob Eagle finds grounds for optimism at a Lunch Hour Lecture about child development on 22 November.

It is no surprise that children from wealthy backgrounds not only develop stronger cognitive skills, but also then become more successful later in life. One need look no further than the politicians from privileged backgrounds who are at the helm of this country’s government.

Long before David Cameron and Nick Clegg went to their private schools and elite universities, they were (presumably) raised in an environment that provided mental stimulation and encouraged education.

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“The talk of doom” – that’s how they refer to this lecture at the Institute for Fiscal Studies. A wide range of UCL Economists – from current students to seasoned alumni – gathered on 13 April to listen to Carl Emmerson of the IFS speak at the UCL Economics Alumni Event, “Disease and cure in the UK: The fiscal impact of the crisis and the policy response”. UCL student Tom Palmer (Economics BSc, Third year) reports on the event.

Carl Emmerson, Institute for Fiscal Studies, speaks at the event

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