Good intentions in Europe

Policies with good intentions can have disastrous effects.

Portugal has done a lot to attract foreign investment, make it easier to get visas and turn Lisbon into a tiny tech hub. Now locals are completely priced out.

Something similar has also happened in the Netherlands, and there are mainstream calls to dramatically cut back on foreign students. This is followed by universities telling already enrolled foreign students not to bother coming unless they already have housing squared away.

This all makes me wonder about on paper economics versus real economics. As an immigrant, I know that I bring a net benefit to the Netherlands, on paper. I pay a lot of tax, despite the country not having had to invest in my education, my spending creates more local service jobs and I provide a necessary skill to a Dutch company that otherwise would have had to locate this position outside of the country. But I also create demand for scarce housing and infrastructure. So who knows in reality.