Credible Immigration Policy Reform: A Response to Briggs

Autor/inn/en	Orrenius, Pia M.; Zavodny, Madeline
Titel	Credible Immigration Policy Reform: A Response to Briggs
Quelle	In: Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 31 (2012) 4, S.963-966 (4 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0276-8739
DOI	10.1002/pam.21654
Schlagwörter	Stellungnahme; Immigrants; Unskilled Workers; Immigration; International Trade; Human Capital; Public Policy; Labor Market; Federal Legislation; Developing Nations; Undocumented Immigrants; Role + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Immigrant; Immigrantin; Immigranten; Unskilled worker; Hilfsarbeiter; Trade; International relations; Handel; Internationale Beziehungen; Humankapital; Öffentliche Ordnung; Labour market; Arbeitsmarkt; Bundesrecht; Developing country; Developing countries; Entwicklungsland; Illegaler Aufenthalt; Rollen
Abstract	The authors agree with Vernon M. Briggs, Jr., that U.S. immigration policy has had unexpected consequences. The 1965 immigration reforms led to unanticipated chain migration from developing countries whereas the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act failed to slow unauthorized immigration. The result is a large foreign-born population with relatively low levels of human capital. The authors disagree with him, however, on the labor market effects of this migration stream and on his proposed policy reforms. Briggs suggests that immigration policy has the power to solve society's most vexing problems. By simply reducing legal immigration by 30 percent and eliminating illegal immigration, the United States can reverse the long-term decline in blue-collar wages, reduce unemployment, and lower poverty and income inequality. The authors think immigration policy has important economic effects and needs to be overhauled, but immigration policy reform is not a silver bullet. Briggs attributes multifaceted labor market trends to immigration, ignoring the role of skill-biased technological change and institutional factors. But he is right that there are problems with sustained, mass low-skilled immigration and that the goal of immigration reform should be to mitigate some of the adverse effects. The solution, however, is not to close the labor market to new immigrants and kick out unauthorized immigrants. The authors believe the solution involves prioritizing employment-based immigration. The United States should increase high-skilled immigration, but also have programs for low-skilled workers. Just as with international trade, the solution is to first reap the gains from immigration and then redirect some of the benefits to offset adverse distributional consequences. (ERIC).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10