Injecting moral-laden discourses into global migration governance : the case of the recruitment of Filipino nurses to Germany

Concerns about health care worker cross-border migration, particularly a global shortage of nurses, have generated a considerable body of research and policy agenda in the fields of health and migration studies for decades. Moral-laden discourses have been advanced within the United Nations framework to solve the asymmetrical distribution of nurses worldwide and a growing need for care services predominantly in rapidly aging countries. Following the recommendation, Germany and the Philippines have entered into a bilateral agreement in terms of recruiting Filipino nurses. The ultimate goal of which is achieving a triple win scenario: wherein the source and destination countries and migrating nurses reap the benefits of the cross-border movement. Grounding on qualitative research, with the help of governmentality studies and situational analyses, the discussion revolves around the case of the partnership between Germany and the Philippines. Moreover, the complexities implicating a range of state and non-state actors in building consensus on the norms, principles, and procedures to be fostered in governing cross-border skilled migration are given emphasis. The partnership conveys the recognition that cross-border migration poses global and moral challenges to the international community and, paradoxically, at the same time provides potential three-fold benefits if managed well. Novel dominant discourses – fair migration, ethical recruitment, and decent work – have transpired through the bilateral mechanism in which interstate cooperation models could be built upon. In this regard, the disposition of a migrant nurse becomes that of someone in need of decent work in a developing country; a subject who will legitimate the construction of a rights-based and normative approach to migration as a manifestation of protection, and indeed, a morally righteous act of struggle against structures of inequity and underdevelopment. The overall analysis aims to contribute to broader debates on global governance or management of cross-border migration, migration-and-development, and brain drain/circulation.