By Frédéric Docquier, Hillel Rapoport.

We investigate the relationship between immigration and right-wing populism, which we characterize as a self-reinforcing process. Anti-immigrant rhetoric and populist policies lead to a deterioration in the skill level of immigrants. This in turn fuels populist support. Historical and contemporary studies are suggestive of such dynamics. In particular, recent cross-country evidence shows that low-skill immigration tends to exacerbate populism, while high-skill immigration tends to mitigate it. Conversely, populist policies and xenophobic attitudes have a strong repulsive effect on highly-skilled immigrants and result in adverse immigrant selection. We use the empirical results from those studies to inform a theoretical model of joint determination of immigrants’ skill-ratio and right-wing populism levels. The model displays multiple equilibria. In this framework, structural trends such as internet penetration, erosion of the middle class, demographic pressure from poor countries or adverse cyclical shocks make the inferior equilibrium – the vicious circle of xenophobia -- more likely.

IZA DP No. 17754

Published in: Economic Policy, 2025, 40 (122), 551–573.

Bonn: IZA – Institute of Labor Economics, 2025. 21p.

By CJ McKinney

A white paper is a government document that proposes important policy changes, including new legislation. The attached briefing summarises seven white papers on immigration, asylum and citizenship issued over the past 60 years: Immigration from the Commonwealth, August 1965 Proposals for revision of the immigration rules, November 1979 British nationality law, July 1980 Fairer, faster and firmer, July 1998 Secure borders, safe haven, February 2002 The UK’s future skills-based immigration system, December 2018 Restoring control over the immigration system, May 2025 While the list provides a snapshot of issues that were important at different points in recent history, it is not a comprehensive survey of shifts in immigration policy. Many major changes were not preceded by a white paper.

London: House of Commons Library, 2025. 9p.

Edited by Bridget Anderson

This collection investigates how to rethink migration without reinforcing it as a problematic subject. The book illustrates that conceptually based, critical and creative thinking is as important for practice as it is for theory and can help us understand and respond to migration as a force that connects rather than divides.

Bristol, UK: Bristol University Press, 2025.

By the Human Rights Watch

The 38-page report details how donor withdrawal and Taliban policies have decimated Afghanistan’s healthcare infrastructure, particularly affecting women and rural areas.

The Human Rights Watch, February 12, 2024, 38 pages

By the Human Rights Watch

The 29-page report documents increased restrictions and state interference with the press under Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government.

The Human Rights Watch, February 13, 2024, 29 pages

By the Human Rights Watch

The 52-page report documents barriers faced by pregnant and parenting adolescent girls in Mozambique in continuing their education, including lack of services and stigma.

The Human Rights Watch, February 13, 2024, 52 pages

By the Human Rights Watch

The 67-page report documents the significant policy gaps that remain in Nepal’s implementation of legal gender recognition despite being a global leader in third-gender acknowledgment.

The Human Rights Watch, February 15, 2024, 67 pages

By the Human Rights Watch

The 46-page report, “‘We Will Find You,’” is a rights-centered analysis of how governments are targeting dissidents, activists, and political opponents abroad, through surveillance, abductions, and digital attacks.

The Human Rights Watch, February 22, 2024, 46 page

By the Human Rights Watch

The 118-page report, “Carbon Offsetting’s Casualties,” concerns a project carried out by the Cambodian Ministry of Environment and the conservation group Wildlife Alliance, operating without consent from the Chong people, who face forced evictions and criminal charges.

The Human Rights Watch, February 28, 2024, 118 pages

By the Human Rights Watch

The 74-page report, “Everything is by the Power of the Weapon: Abuses and Impunity in Turkish-Occupied Northern Syria,” documents abductions, arbitrary arrests, unlawful detention, sexual violence, and torture by the various factions of a loose coalition of armed groups, as well as Turkish forces.

The Human Rights Watch, February 29, 2024, 74 pages

By the Human Rights Watch

The 40-page report, “‘My Marriage was Mistake after Mistake’: The Impact of Unregistered Marriages on Women’s and Children’s Rights in Iraq,” documents the impacts of unregistered marriages on women and girls who enter them, and the downstream effects on their children.

The Human Rights Watch, March 3, 2024, 40 pages

By the Human Rights Watch

The 50-page report, “Breaking Barriers to Justice: Nepal’s Long Struggle for Accountability, Truth and Reparations,” describes the decades-long struggle for justice by survivors and victims. Human Rights Watch and Advocacy Forum analyzed the proposed law and reviewed some emblematic cases that faced obstruction by the authorities.

The Human Rights Watch, March 5, 2024, 50 pages

By the Human Rights Watch

The 60-page report, “‘We Can’t See the Sun’: Malaysia’s Arbitrary Detention of Migrants and Refugees,” documents Malaysian authorities’ punitive and abusive treatment of migrants and refugees in 20 immigration detention centers across the country. Immigration detainees can spend months or years in overcrowded, unhygienic conditions, subject to harassment and violence by guards, without domestic or international monitoring.

The Human Rights Watch, March 5, 2024, 60 pages

By the Human Rights Watch

The 60-page report, “‘I Just Want to Contribute to Society’: The Need for Legal Gender Recognition in Tabasco, Mexico,” documents the pervasive socioeconomic disadvantages that trans people experience due to a mismatch between their gender and their identity documents. A lack of accurate documents, often in combination with anti-trans bias, has led to discrimination, harassment, and violence for trans people.

The Human Rights Watch, March 6, 2024, 60 pages

By the Human Rights Watch

The 148-page report, “‘A Sense of Terror Stronger than a Bullet’: The Closing of North Korea 2018–2023,” documents the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK or North Korea) overbroad, excessive, and unnecessary measures during the Covid-19 pandemic, including quarantines and new restrictions on economic activity and freedom of movement. The government’s new measures have severely affected food security and the availability of products needed by North Koreans to survive that previously entered the country via formal or informal trade routes from China.

The Human Rights Watch, March 7, 2024, 148 pages

By the Human Rights Watch

The 36-page report, “In Harm’s Way: How Michigan’s Forced Parental Consent for Abortion Law Hurts Young People” examines the impact of a Michigan law that requires people under age 18 seeking an abortion to have a parent or legal guardian’s written consent or get approval from a judge in a process known as “judicial bypass.”

The Human Rights Watch, March 28, 2024, 36 pages

By the Human Rights Watch

The 49-page report, “‘The Boot on My Neck’: Iranian Authorities’ Crime of Persecution Against Baha’is in Iran,” documents Iranian authorities’ systematic violation of the fundamental rights of members of the Baha’i community through discriminatory laws and policies that target them. Human Rights Watch found that Baha’is face a spectrum of abuses. Government agencies arrest and imprison Baha’is arbitrarily, confiscate their property, restrict their education and employment opportunities, and even deny them dignified burial.

The Human Rights Watch, April 1, 2024, 49 pages

By William H. Herndon (Author), Jesse W. Weik (Author), Colin Heston (Editor)

Abraham Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life, Volume 2 by William H. Herndon and Jesse W. Weik continues the intimate and revealing portrait of Lincoln’s life, focusing on his political rise, personal struggles, and moral convictions. This volume delves into Lincoln’s early legal and political career in Illinois, his evolving views on slavery, and his growing prominence within the newly formed Republican Party. Herndon, who knew Lincoln personally, offers firsthand insights into Lincoln’s character, including his honesty, wit, and deep empathy. The narrative explores Lincoln’s debates with Stephen A. Douglas, his election to the presidency, and the immense pressures he faced as the nation moved toward civil war. The authors emphasize Lincoln’s internal conflicts, his sense of duty, and his unwavering commitment to preserving the Union. Through letters, speeches, and personal anecdotes, the book presents Lincoln not as a distant icon but as a complex, thoughtful man shaped by hardship and driven by principle. Volume 2 concludes with reflections on Lincoln’s leadership during the early years of the Civil War, setting the stage for the final chapters of his life and legacy.

Read-Me.Org Inc. New York-Philadelphia-Australia. 2025. 220p.

By William H. Herndon (Author), Jesse W. Weik (Author), Colin Heston (Editor)

Abraham Lincoln: The True Story of a Great Life, Volume 1 by William H. Herndon and Jesse W. Weik is a deeply personal and detailed biography that explores the early life and character development of Abraham Lincoln. Written by Herndon, Lincoln’s former law partner, and Weik, a collaborator and researcher, the book offers a unique insider’s perspective on Lincoln’s formative years. It begins with an exploration of Lincoln’s ancestry and family background, emphasizing the hardships and humble circumstances that shaped his upbringing. The narrative delves into his childhood in Kentucky and Indiana, highlighting his early education, intellectual curiosity, and moral development. The authors portray Lincoln as a self-made man whose values were forged through personal struggle, rural labor, and a relentless pursuit of knowledge. The book also reflects on the influence of his mother, Nancy Hanks, and other key figures in his early life. Through anecdotes, letters, and recollections, the biography paints a vivid picture of Lincoln’s growth from a frontier boy into a thoughtful, principled young man destined for greatness. The tone is both reverent and analytical, aiming to present Lincoln not as a mythic figure, but as a real human being shaped by his environment and experiences.

Read-Me.Org Inc. New York-Philadelphia-Australia. 2025. 256p.

By Al. Ujazdowskie

Armed forces are an integral part of a democratic state and society. By fulilling their defence and national-security functions, the armed forces play a key role in enabling a security environment that allows us to enjoy the inalienable rights and freedoms to which we are all entitled as human beings. As representatives of the state structure, armed forces personnel are bound to respect human rights and international humanitarian law in the exercise of their duties. But only when their rights are guaranteed within their own institu- tion will armed forces personnel be likely to uphold these in the discharge of their tasks — both when in the barracks and during operations.

OSCE Oice for Democratic Institutions and

Human Rights (ODIHR), 256p.