11 September 2009

The cost of immigration: answering a loaded question

Is it possible or even desirable to make a cost-benefit analysis of immigration? This is the awkward debate being waged in Dutch politics after the far-right Freedom Party demanded to know the impact immigration has on the nation's budget.

The government answered most of the questions but refused to address non-Western immigrants specifically, as the Freedom Party has demanded. Integration Minister Eberhard van der Laan says the government does not compile figures on specific groups in society.

The Freedom Party argues the government is failing to fulfil its duty to provide information to the electorate. RNW's political editor John Tyler explains: [RNW - Radio Netherlands Worldwide] Read more