Them and Us

Immigration is good for society and here's the data that proves it.

Winner of the Diversity, Inclusion and Equality Award at the Business Book Awards 2021

‘Underpinned by scholarship...entertaining…Legrain’s book fizzes with practical ideas.’ The Economist


‘The beauty of diversity is that innovation often comes about by serendipity. As Scott Page observed, one day in 1904, at the World Fair in St Louis, the ice cream vendor ran out of cups. Ernest Hami, a Syrian waffle vendor in the booth next door, rolled up some waffles to make cones – and the rest is history.’

Filled with data, anecdotes and optimism, Them and Us is an endorsement of cultural differences at a time of acute national introspection. By every measure, from productivity to new perspectives, immigrants bring something beneficial to society. If patriotism means wanting the best for your country, we should be welcoming immigrants with open arms.

Philippe Legrain is the founder of the international think-tank Open Political Economy Network (OPEN), senior visiting fellow at the London School of Economics’ European Institute and a commentator for Project Syndicate, Foreign Policy and the Guardian among others. His book Immigrants: Your Country Needs Them was shortlisted for the 2007 Financial Times Business Book of the Year.