Briefing | Economic self-harm

Talent is scarce. Yet many countries spurn it

There is growing competition for the best and the brightest migrants

An illustration shows a highly-skilled immigrant worker arriving to a new country on a red carpet.
Illustration: Kyle Ellingson
|BEIJING, DUBAI and LISBON

Zeke Hernandez was worried. His 12-year-old son, Lucas, had not grown for two years. The family paediatrician told him to eat more, but it didn’t work. Eventually, after a battery of tests, another doctor diagnosed Lucas with celiac disease, which was damaging his small intestine. The solution was to stop eating wheat.

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This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “Enticing the best and the brightest”

From the August 17th 2024 edition

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Young people in Kenya take part in extracurricular activities in school

Emigration from Africa will change the world

As other countries age, they will need African youth

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The Ivy League sees little point in fighting the federal government in court


As Donald Trump’s trade war heats up, China is surprisingly confident

Should it be?

An unrestrained Israel is reshaping the Middle East

Its quest for hegemony will strain domestic cohesion and foreign alliances

Dreams of improving the human race are no longer science fiction

But the “enhancement” industry is still hobbled by out-of-date regulation