The inflow of migrants from North Africa has split Europe between those who think governments should do all they can to save human lives and those who fear rescue operations mainly benefit smugglers. A new study shows such concerns could be well-grounded.
Giovanni Mastrobuoni, one of Europe’s preeminent economists of crime based at the Collegio Carlo Alberto in Turin, worked with Claudio Deiana and Vikram Maheshri to look at how people smugglers change their behavior in response to relief efforts in the Mediterranean Sea. Their findings: When such criminals anticipate there’s a greater chance their human cargo will be rescued, they react by using cheaper and less secure boats. As a result, the number of crossings increases — on craft more vulnerable to accidents — making it mission impossible for rescue crews to reduce the number of deaths.
