That Switzerland is considering tightening its immigration policy was no surprise to demographic and economic experts. After all, that’s the trend among European countries, both within and outside the European Union. Doing so by capping the country’s population at 10 million, which the Swiss will consider this summer, however, led to some questions.
“It is quite peculiar in the European demographic and political context,” said Marianna Griffini, assistant professor in international relations and anthropology on Northeastern University’s London campus. “I haven’t heard about specific numbers to cap the population,” Griffini said. “I’m quite baffled by the reasoning behind it and the fact that I think it could have quite serious economic consequences.”
Northeastern economist Mindy Marks agreed. “It’s a weird way to go about anti-immigration policy,” said Marks, an associate professor of economics. “There are legitimate reasons societies might want to think about who they grant citizenship to, none of which are being addressed by this proposal.”
