How Migration Really Works

This book is not purchasable in your country. Please select another book.

Listen to a sample

What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

An authoritative analysis that busts 22 deep-rooted myths about migration - and sets out a new way to think about it


Global migration is not at an all-time high.

Climate change will not lead to mass migration.

Immigration mainly benefits the wealthy, not workers.

Border restrictions have paradoxically produced more migration.

These statements might sound counter-intuitive or just outright wrong - but the facts behind the headlines reveal a completely different story to the ones we're told about migration. In this ground-breaking and revelatory book, based on more than three decades of research, leading expert Professor Hein de Haas explodes myths espoused by both left and right that politicians, interest groups and media regularly spread about migration.

Comparing trends and perspectives from Western 'destination countries' (UK, US and Europe) as well as 'origin countries' in Asia, Africa and Latin America, de Haas equips readers with essential knowledge on migration based on the best evidence and data, showing migration not as a problem to be solved, nor as a solution to a problem, but as it really is.

Above all, How Migration Really Works offers a new vision of migration based on facts rather than fears, and a paradigm-altering understanding of this perennially important subject.

©2023 Hein de Haas (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critics Review

  • A careful, balanced, and convincing take on one of the most divisive issues of our age. Backed by masses of data, Hein de Haas challenges much of what we think is obvious about migration, systematically busting myths and exposing propaganda from all across the political spectrum

    author of Why The West Rules – For Now
  • A book that will force Left and Right alike to reconsider old assumptions . . . [De Haas’s] insights hold the key to effective migration policy . . . An important book, which should become a standard textbook for anyone seeking to have a real impact on migration

    The Telegraph
  • A powerful debunking of myths about global migration, and an indictment of the political dishonesty that generates them . . . a clear and rigorous corrective that aims to give the general reader the tools for a more informed debate in future

    Guardian
  • Immigration has been a leading political issue for decades. Yet the debate has been a triumph of feelings over facts. This brilliant book sheds light on a topic that will only become more relevant in the years ahead

    Aaron Bastani
  • We need much more rigorous scholarship and level-headed analysis of global migration trends — and this exhaustive new book by Hein de Haas is a great place to start. At this urgent moment in Western political tensions over migration, he provides remarkable clarity and guidance on how to better navigate the pressing social and economic challenges ahead

    author of MOVE: Where People are Going for a Better Future
  • What if the central assumptions of the migration debate were plainly false? Hein de Haas challenges common myths about migration, defying orthodoxy on all sides of the debate, and bringing measured and thoughtful analysis to a vitriolic and polarized issue. How Migration Really Works is a necessary read for anyone interested in migration

    Yascha Mounk, author of The Identity Trap

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to get tailored content recommendations, product updates and info on new releases. Your data is your own: we commit to protect your data and respect your privacy.