2019 Conference on Migration Policy: Implications for Growth, Inequality, and Welfare
Nov. 15-16, 2019, Pittsburgh, PA
Labor migration is a central concern for citizens, policymakers, and businesses in both origin and destination countries. CRNYU Fall 2019 explored the implications of migration policy for growth, inequality, and welfare.
Papers presented analyzed the consequences of emigration for economies in the midst of debt crises, the implications of the recent wave of Syrian refugees for Germany’s economy, the impact of work visa policy on authorized immigration into the U.S., and the role of rural to urban migration in driving Chinese growth. Other contributions examined foundational issues in the design and evaluation of migration policy.
Scenes from 2019
Conference Sessions
Session I: Macroeconomic Impacts of Migration
Chair: Ali Shourideh
- Migration and Sovereign Default Risk
Authors: George Alessandria (University of Rochester), Yan Bai (University of Rochester), and Minjie Deng (University of Rochester)
Discussant: Pablo Guerron (Boston College) - Should Germany Build a New Wall? Macroeconomic Lessons from the 2015-20(?) Refugee Wave
Authors: Christopher Busch (MOVE, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), Zainab Iftikhar (University of Frankfurt), Dirk Krueger (University of Pennsylvania), Alexander Ludwig (University of Frankfurt) and Irina Popova (University of Frankfurt)
Discussant: Tommaso Porzio (University of California San Diego)
Session II: Migration Policy Design: Theory and Evidence
Chair: Chris Sleet
- What is the Optimal Immigration Policy? Migration, Jobs, and Welfare
Authors: Joao Guerreiro (Northwestern University), Sergio Rebelo (Northwestern University) and Pedro Teles (Universidade Católica Portuguesa)
Discussant: Ali Shourideh (Carnegie Mellon University) - The Effect of Increased Work Visas on Unauthorized Immigration
Authors: Brian K. Kovak (Carnegie Mellon University) and Rebecca Lessem (Carnegie Mellon University)
Discussant: Kelly Bishop (Arizona State University)
Session III: Internal Migration and Development
Chair: Laurence Ales
- The Effect of Migration Policy on Growth, Structural Change, and Regional Inequality in China
Authors: Tongtong Hao (University of Toronto), Ruiqi Sun (Tsinghua University), Trevor Tombe (University of Calgary) and Xiaodong Zhu (University of Toronto)
Discussant: Jessica Leight (American University) - Migration Policy and Observational Returns to Rural-Urban Migration in
the Developing World
Authors: David Lagakos (University of California San Diego), Samuel Marshall (Yale University), Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak (Yale University), Corey Vernot (Yale University) and Michael E. Waugh (New York University)
Discussant: Todd Schoellman (Minneapolis Federal Reserve)