On May 18, 2018, I was invited for the second time to the Tolerance Talks in Fresach to take part in a discussion. The guiding question was:
Were open borders a misunderstood liberal concept?
Of course not—that was my short answer.
But a different environment requires different thinking.
The interconnected global society—with globalisation, digitalisation, connectivity, mobility, a global knowledge society, New Work, and so on—makes our previous way of thinking about Africa seem outdated.
With “welcoming culture” versus “fortress mentality,” we will not get a grip on the central challenge of migration.
From organisational theory, we know that the greatest enemy of change is our own old way of thinking. That is why we should question our previous basic assumptions and address taboo topics:
Africans are pushing toward Europe because they are becoming poorer?
– No, because they are becoming less poor. Most African countries are developing economically quite well; more and more people are emerging from absolute poverty and, for the first time, can change their social and geographical situation.
Additional jobs in African countries reduce emigration?
– No. Studies show that, in the current development phase of African countries, stronger economic growth increases emigration.
Europe must solve Africa’s problems!
– No. No country has ever achieved sustainable development through external aid and intervention alone.
A false conclusion
“So does that mean we should ensure that African countries develop less successfully so that fewer people come to us?”
That was the quick response to my thesis in an emotional discussion. But this conclusion is, of course, invalid.
First, because it contradicts our humanistic view of humanity.
Second, because economic development cannot simply be reversed (except through wars or similar disruptions).
And in any case, such an argument is based on a way of thinking that only looks at the past and fails to see future opportunities.
New thinking
So, how can we create new avenues for society, politics and the economy to take action?
First, we must understand the nature and scale of this change: the ever-increasing division of labour, interconnectedness and the exchange of goods and services have always been constants in human history, not just since the most recent wave of globalisation. In fact, this has been the case ever since the invention of the first hand axe. Now, however, interconnectedness has finally reached a global scale.
This has particularly dramatic consequences for African countries: interconnectedness instead of isolation.
We should also be aware of the far-reaching consequences of this interconnectedness for African countries: integration into global value chains, access to the global knowledge society, the opportunity to leapfrog technological development stages, and independent African innovation. This goes hand in hand with an agile mindset, which is now often more common in African countries than here in Europe.
New opportunities
This opens up entirely new opportunities for policy-makers and entrepreneurial-minded people in Europe.
Simply ‘helping’ Africa would be far from enough – and would merely perpetuate old colonial traditions that maintain bureaucracies and dependencies.
Rather, it is about a sensible policy that, above all, facilitates decentralised business cooperation. There, in African countries, where modern European organisations network and do good business for mutual benefit. And here, in Europe, where increasing mobility and migration are bringing to us precisely those African women, men and African businesses that contribute to our businesses, organisations and society.
Foto: Gerhard Kampitsch
