We (don’t) need labour migrants

by HIT Foundation on 16/12/2011

Migration triggers heated emotions. Some say we desperately need (more) labour migrants to meet the demographic challenges we are bound to face in the years ahead. Others argue that labour migrants take ‘our’ jobs and threaten Europe’s national welfare states. All these conflicting perspectives obstruct the development of sensible labour migration policies.
‘The Labour Migrant [...]

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Limburg Searches the Future

by HIT Foundation on 13/12/2011

Early November 2011, 52 engaged professionals from Southern Limburg met for two days in Kasteel Vaalsbroek. A multifaceted group, from directors and artists to entrepreneurs and politicians and, the ‘creative class’, young men and women who can make the difference for the future of Limburg. Together they examined how they can accelerate the socio-economic developments [...]

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Sensible Labour Migration Policies

November 11, 2011

Blue Birds, the pilot for circular migration, demonstrated the need for sensible labour migration policies: policies that have the potential to lead to development as opposed to development policies that lead to labour migration. The main challenge is how to get there.
One problem is the fact that the definition of ʻsensibleʼ depends on oneʼs perspective. [...]

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Pilot terminated prematurely

July 1, 2011

On June 1 the State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, decided to prematurely terminate the pilot circular migration Blue Birds. The pilot is stopped because there is insufficient support to resolve complications in the implementation.
As administrator of the pilot HIT Foundation regrets that this unique and innovative research project is discontinued prematurely. The opportunity [...]

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Nightingales Future Search planned

June 23, 2011
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Date Nightingales Future Search known
The Nightingales Future Search will take place from November 2nd till 4th. The Future Search is a working conference of 64 Limburg leaders with the aim of accelerating the socio-economic developments in South Limburg in relation to its border regions.
Read more about the Nightingales Future Search (Dutch only).

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Migration & Development: Policy potentials & illusions

May 20, 2011

This week, Hein de Haas, Senior Research Fellow at the International Migration Institute of the University of Oxford, spoke of the ‘deep fears and high hopes’ that run through the migration and development debate.
According to De Haas views on migration have shifted from optimism about ‘brain gain’ in the years after the second World War, [...]

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Thinking in scenarios: The future of Life Sciences in the Euregio

May 5, 2011

On 9 June 2011, HIT Foundation will facilitate the workshop: Thinking in scenarios: The Future of Life Sciences in the Euregio and the impact on the labour market.
The workshop is organised by Skills³. Skills³ aims to strengthen the Euregional labur market in the Life Sciences. As part of this, they organise seminars to bring [...]

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Connecting Limburg Initiatives

March 4, 2011

Dialogue Report
On Monday, February 21 a small group of Limburg leaders met in the Groote Sociëteit in Maastricht to talk about the Nightingales Future Search. They jointly decided to investigate at short notice whether and how the Task Force South Limburg and the Future Search can be braided together. Proposal is to let the Nightingales [...]

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Nightingales Dialogues

February 16, 2011
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Friday, 7 January twenty Limburg leaders met in the Glass Palace in Heerlen. The 20 leaders represented eight key clusters of Limburgs’ socioeconomic system. Goal of the meeting: Explore ways to bring about an effective and inspiring movement for the success of the region.
The Nightingales Dialogues build on the insights acquired through the Nightingales Scenarios, [...]

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Limburg needs immigration

January 25, 2011
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From the Euregion and overseas
“Opening up the border for talented foreigners is a matter of enlightened self-interest.” That is the vision of Wil Houben, in daily life director of the Chamber of Commerce in Limburg and in his spare time chairman of the HIT Foundation.
In his column in the Limburger of this past Saturday, commentator [...]

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