Interview with Volha Charnysh, author of 'Uprooted. How post-WWII Population Transfers Remade Europe'

In Uprooted, Volha Charnysh offers a new perspective on the developmental impacts of mass displacement, emphasizing that integrating displaced populations can strengthen states and boost local economies. Focusing on post-WWII Poland and West Germany, Charnysh demonstrates how the disruption of social ties and the introduction of cultural diversity initially reduced social cohesion but simultaneously increased the demand for state-provided resources. This, in turn, helped build state capacity. Over time, regions with larger and more diverse migrant inflows experienced greater gains in entrepreneurship, education, and income. Through its rich analysis and compelling evidence, Uprooted challenges conventional views on the costs of forced displacement and diversity, while proposing a unique link between wars and state-building.

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Javier Mejia is a lecturer at Stanford University who specializes in the intersection of social networks and economic history. His research interests also include entrepreneurship and political economy, with a particular focus on Latin America and the Middle East. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Los Andes University. Mejia has previously been a Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer at New York University-Abu Dhabi and a Visiting Scholar at the University of Bordeaux. He is also a frequent contributor to various news outlets, currently serving as an op-ed columnist for Forbes Magazine.

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