Immigration is a simple economic equation, but its effects are complex. Sharply written and brilliantly clarifying, Exodus offers a provocative analysis of an issue that affects us all.

It is one of the most pressing and controversial questions of our time - vehemently debated, steeped in ideology, profoundly divisive. Who should be allowed to immigrate and who not? What are the arguments for and against limiting the numbers? We are supposedly a nation of immigrants and yet our policies reflect deep anxieties and the quirks of short-term self-interest, with effective legislation snagging on thousand-mile-long security fences and the question of how long and arduous the path to citizenship should be.

Drawing on original research and case studies, Collier explores this volatile issue from three perspectives: that of the migrants themselves, that of the people they leave behind and that of the host societies where they relocate.