TUM Library

Previous edition: 2015.

This book, in its second edition,introduces readers to the economics of immigration, which is a booming field within economics. The main themes and objectives of the book are for readers to understand the decision to migrate, the impacts of immigration on markets and government budgets and the consequences of immigration policies in a global context. Our goal is for readers to be able to make informed economic arguments about key issues related to immigration around the world. This book applies economic tools to the topic of immigration to answer questions like whether immigration raises or lowers the standard of living of people in a country. The book examines many other consequences of immigration as well, such as the effect on tax revenues and government expenditures, the effect on how and what firms decide to produce and the effect on income inequality, to name just a few. It also examines questions like what determines whether people choose to move and where they decide to go. It even examines how immigration affects the ethnic diversity of restaurants and financial markets. Readers will learn how to apply economic tools to the topic of immigration. Immigration is frequently in the news as more people move around the world to work, to study and to join family members. The economics of immigration has important policy implications. Immigration policy is controversial in many countries. This book explains why this is so and equips the reader to understand and contribute to policy debates on this important topic.

Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Table of contents -- Illustrations -- Preface -- Part I Background on immigration -- Chapter 1 Why study the economics of immigration? -- Types of immigrants -- Immigration is controversial -- Immigration versus international trade -- Immigration policy -- Economics of immigration terminology -- A basic model of immigration -- A global overview of immigration -- An overview of U.S. immigration -- The rest of this book -- What this book does not cover -- Problems and discussion questions -- Notes -- Internet resources

Chapter 2 Patterns of international migration -- Where are immigrants from? -- Where do immigrants go? -- Immigrant destinations within countries -- Measuring immigrant concentration and dispersion -- Immigration to poor countries -- Do immigrants stay? Return and repeat migration -- Circular migration -- The role of immigration policy -- Refugees and asylum seekers -- Unauthorized immigrants -- Concluding thoughts -- Problems and discussion questions -- Notes -- Internet resources -- Chapter 3 Determinants of immigration -- Push and pull factors -- The migration decision

Family decision-making -- Uncertainty -- The role of immigration policy -- The gravity model of migration -- Empirical evidence -- The role of economic conditions in the origin -- The role of economic conditions in the destination -- The role of migration costs -- The role of migrant networks -- The role of immigration policy -- Evidence for specific groups of immigrants -- Determinants of immigrant destinations within countries -- Determinants of return migration -- Immigration paradigms -- Conclusion -- Problems and discussion questions -- Notes -- Internet resources

Part II Immigrant selection and assimilation -- Chapter 4 Selection in immigration -- The Roy model -- The direction of selection -- Refugees and selection -- Intermediate selection -- Summing up the model -- Implications for the returns to migration -- Empirical evidence on selection -- Measuring the return to skill -- Global patterns of selection -- Effects of migration costs and other factors -- Effects of immigration policy -- Selection among Mexico-U.S. immigrants -- Selection on health -- Selection in return migration -- The Roy model and return migration

Empirical evidence on selection in return migration -- Final thoughts on selection -- Problems and discussion questions -- Notes -- Internet resources -- Chapter 5 Assimilation -- Labor market assimilation -- Cohort differences in assimilation -- Gender issues in immigrants' labor market assimilation -- Accounting for return migration -- Immigrant types and assimilation -- Participation in public assistance programs -- Location choice and enclaves -- Education -- Language -- Marriage and fertility -- Health -- Naturalization -- Final thoughts on assimilation -- Problems and discussion questions

OCLC-licensed vendor bibliographic record.