Immigration Policy and the Welfare State A Report for the Fondazione Rodolfo Debenedetti

by Boeri, Tito; Hanson, Gordon H.; McCormick, Barry

• ISBN13: 9780199256310
• ISBN10: 0199256314
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-09-12
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This book draws together and unifies analysis of immigration into the major EU countries and the US, making digestible and transparent the major trends and dramatic developments of the past decade. While the influence of the welfare state on immigration incentives is a key issue, various other influences on both legal and illegal migration are analyzed, together with the implications of migration for the market outcomes on these two continents.

Author Biography

Tito Boeri is Professor of Economics at Bocconi University, Milan, and is affiliated with the Innocenzo Gasparini Institute for Economic Research (IGIER). He is Director of the Fondazione Rodolfo Debenedetti operating in the field of labour market and social policy reforms in Europe. He is a research fellow at CEPR and at the University of Michigan Business School. Gordon H. Hanson is Professor of Economics in the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies at the University of California, San Diego. He is also a research associate in the National Bureau of Economic Research and on the Board of Editors for the American Economic Review and the Journal of International Economics. Barry McCormick has been Professor of Economics at the University of Southampton since 1991. His research is in labour economics, including labour markets in less developed countries. He is a part-time consultant for the UK Treasury on Regional Policy.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	xxiii
List of Tables	xxv
List of Boxes	xxviii
List of Contributors	xxix
Part I. Managing Migration in the European Welfare State	1	(168)
Herbert Brucker
Gil S. Epstein
Barry McCormick
Gilles Saint-Paul
Alessandra Venturini
Klaus Zimmermann
Immigration and the EU	3	(37)
Introduction	3	(2)
The foreign population in Europe: basic figures	5	(5)
Four phases of European migration	10	(8)
The channels of entry	18	(3)
Stylized facts on the socio-economic characteristics of migrants	21	(5)
The impact of immigration on wages and employment of natives	26	(5)
The impact on the labour market performance of migrants	31	(3)
Conclusions	34	(1)
Appendix	35	(5)
European Immigration Policy and the Selection of Immigrants	40	(26)
Introduction	40	(1)
The rules of European immigration policies	41	(8)
Selection and self selection of migrants	49	(3)
How did European immigration policy affect the country of origin mix?	52	(6)
How does national origin affect the skill composition of migrants?	58	(6)
Conclusions	64	(2)
Welfare State Provision	66	(25)
Basic theory	67	(4)
An empirical analysis: comparing migrants with natives	71	(6)
Implications for the welfare state	77	(10)
Are cross-country differences in migrant selection related to differences in the welfare system?	87	(2)
Conclusions	89	(2)
Immigration and the Extension of Free Movement to Eastern Europe	91	(14)
Will Eastern enlargement swamp EU labour markets?	93	(10)
What are the consequences for EU labour markets?	103	(2)
European Attitudes Towards Immigrants	105	(19)
Attitudes towards migrants in the context of economic conduct and performance	105	(3)
Racism and concerns about unemployment and immigration	108	(5)
Determinants of attitudes	113	(8)
Attitudes and migration policy	121	(3)
Contracted Temporary Migration	124	(19)
Introduction	124	(3)
Implementing contracted temporary migration policy	127	(4)
Policy instruments	131	(4)
The EC and the case of Israel	135	(6)
Conclusions	141	(2)
Managing European Immigration	143	(26)
Opening EU labour markets	143	(1)
Eastern enlargement	143	(1)
Family unification	144	(1)
Developing a common European asylum and refugee policy	145	(1)
Economic and illegal migration	146	(4)
Towards a co-ordinated policy with countries of origin	150	(19)
Comments	152	(1)
Michael Burda	152	(3)
Riccardo Faini	155	(4)
References	159	(10)
Part II. Immigration and the US Economy: Labour-Market Impacts, Illegal Entry, and Policy Choices	169	(141)
Gordon Hanson
Kenneth Scheve
Matthew Slaughter
Antonio Spilimbergo
Introduction	171	(5)
Immigration and Immigration Policy in the United States	176	(9)
An overview of US immigration policy	176	(2)
Recent trends in US immigration	178	(7)
How do Economies Adjust to Immigration Inflows?	185	(22)
How the US economy absorbs immigrants: theoretical framework	186	(6)
How the US economy absorbs immigrants: empirical evidence	192	(12)
How the US economy absorbs immigrants: future prospects	204	(3)
Illegal Immigration	207	(25)
Background	207	(4)
US policy towards illegal immigration	211	(10)
Factors that contribute to illegal immigration	221	(6)
Policy issues and future prospects	227	(5)
Fiscal Impacts of Immigration	232	(18)
Use of public resources by immigrants	233	(3)
Welfare magnets	236	(1)
Sharing the costs between central government and local authorities	237	(6)
Overall annual fiscal impact of immigration	243	(2)
Long-term impact of immigration on Public finances	245	(2)
Immigration and social security	247	(1)
Summary	248	(2)
The Political Economy of Immigration Policy	250	(26)
Preferences	251	(11)
Aggregating preferences in the political process	262	(9)
Summary	271	(1)
Appendix	272	(4)
Conclusion	276	(34)
US immigration policy choices	279	(31)
Comments	286	(1)
Giuseppe Bertola	286	(3)
George Borjas	289	(14)
References	303	(7)
Final Remarks	310	(11)
Olivier Blanchard	310	(4)
Dani Rodrik	314	(4)
Giovanni Sartori	318	(3)
Index	321