Immigration Creates Jobs and Increases Income of US Workers: New Report by the NBER

A digest of the recently released report issued by the National Bureau of Economic Research, which finds that immigration creates jobs and adds to the income of US workers:

The Effect of Immigration on Productivity: Evidence from US States

A one percent increase in employment in a US state, attributable only to immigration, is associated with a 0.4-0.5 percent increase in income per worker in that state.

Immigration during the 1990s and the 2000s significantly increased the presence of foreign-born workers in the United States, but the increase was very unequal across states. In The Effect of Immigration on Productivity: Evidence from US States (NBER Working Paper No. 15507), NBER Research Associate Giovanni Peri analyzes state-by-state data to determine the impact of immigration on a variety of labor market outcomes, including employment, average hours worked, and average skill intensity, and on productivity and income per worker.

Peri reports a number of distinct findings. First, immigrants do not crowd-out employment of (or hours worked by) natives; they add to total employment and reduce the share of highly educated workers, because of their larger share of islow-skilled relative to native workers. Second, immigrants increase total factor productivity. These productivity gains may arise because of the more efficient allocation of skills to tasks, as immigrants are allocated to manual-intensive jobs, promoting competition and pushing natives to perform communication-intensive tasks more efficiently. Indeed, a measure of task-specialization of native workers induced by immigrants explains half to two thirds of the positive effect on productivity.

Third, Peri finds that inflows of immigrants decrease capital intensity and the skill-bias of production technologies. The decrease in capital intensity comes from an increase in total factor productivity; the capital-to-labor ratio remains unchanged because investment rises coincident with the inflow of immigrants. The reduction in the skill-intensity of production occurs as immigrants influence the choice of production techniques toward those that more efficiently use less educated workers and are less capital intensive.

Finally, Peri finds that for less educated natives, higher immigration has very little effect on wages, while for highly educated natives, the wage effect of higher immigration is positive. In summary, he finds that a one percent increase in employment in a US state, attributable only to immigration, is associated with a 0.4 to 0.5 percent increase in income per worker in that state.

A central challenge in establishing a causal link between immigration and economic outcomes is the fact that immigrants may be disproportionately attracted to states with strong economic performance. Peri recognizes this problem, and uses information on state characteristics, such as the location of a state relative to the Mexican border, the number of ports of entry, as well as the existence of communities of immigrants there before 1960 to predict immigrant inflows. He then studies how these predicted inflows, rather than actual inflows, are related to labor market outcomes. He argues that the state characteristics that underlie his predictions are not likely to be associated with either labor market outcomes or productivity. He also controls for several other determinants of productivity that may vary with geography such as R and D spending, computer adoption, international competition in the form of exports, and sector composition.

-- Claire Brunel

The Digest is not copyrighted and may be reproduced freely with appropriate attribution of source


The link to the digest and report: http://www.nber.org/digest/mar10/w15507.html

Secuestros de migrantes se concentran en tres entidades: Veracruz, Tabasco, Tamaulipas

Gran impacto ha tenido a nivel mundial la noticia sobre la ejecución de 72 migrantes en el estado de Tamaulipas por el crimen organizado, presuntamente los Zetas, a quienes se les acusa de tal barbaridad.

Quienes hemos estamos vinculados a los procesos migratorios nos hemos dado cuenta de cuanto y como ha ido empeorando la situación a lo largo de la frontera en las ultimas décadas, a tal grado que se ha convertido en un verdadero calvario para quienes la cruzan, con o sin documentos, siendo mexicano o de otro país. A pesar de esto, nos quedamos atónitos ante la magnitud de este acto criminal.

Uno de los temas relacionados a este complejo tema es el de los secuestros de migrantes. Sobre esto, informa la Comision Nacional de Derechos Humanos (CNDH) que en los últimos seis meses se han reportado 1,267 plagios contra migrantes centroamericanos.

El 77.2% de ellos ocurren en tres estados que forman parte del circuito migratorios por donde circulan del sur al norte de México: En Veracruz se reportaron 443 plagios, en Tabasco 272 y en Tamaulipas 263.

Por supuesto que los plagios y otros crímenes que se cometen en contra de los migrantes ocurren en otros estados de la República Mexicana, por lo que se requieren medidas mas eficaces por las autoridades de todos los niveles de gobierno.

Las autoridades estadounidenses también deberían de reflexionar sobre el hecho que, ante la ausencia de una política migratoria que refleje la realidad de la demanda laboral por la mano de obra extranjera, tanto las fuerzas anti-inmigrantes como el crimen organizado saben ocupar los espacios vacíos.

Y quienes siempre salen perdiendo son las mujeres y hombres que solo buscan trabajo para vivir mejor.

El diario Milenio discute mas ampliamente este asunto en el siguiente articulo:

Secuestros de migrantes se concentran en tres entidades | Ediciones Impresas Milenio

TIGRA on the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act: Includes Needed Remittance Regulation

TIGRA (Transnational Institute for Grassroots Research and Action) has been involved in organizing international migrants and migration-related organizations around the issue of remittances - something that affects migrant communities all over the world, in sending and receiving nations. Most recently, they have been involved in influencing US policy and are now communicating their support for the recently approved Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which includes much needed protection for people utilizing remittances services.

According to TIGRA:

On July 22nd, President Obama signed into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. This financial reform bill, replete with overdue remittance regulation, scores a considerable victory for the United States' forty three million immigrants that support their families from afar. Forever at the mercy of a murky and mostly-unregulated industry, remitters - global sustainers sending forth more than $400 billion a year - can now be assured of increased access to the equations behind their transfers.

The current lack of transparency in the marketplace represents an egregious exploitation of a population dependent on the services of these providers. TIGRA has long sought to right this wrong, recently devising a strict set of accreditation standards to leverage their network into corporate adherence. Fee and rate transparency is first on the list, followed by fair pricing 20% below the industry standard, a philanthropic commitment to community reinvestment, and, fourth, a pledge to avoid any investments that further displace people. After all, our goal is to make migration an option and not a necessity.

Under the Dodd-Frank law, the remittance industry will be at least partially reformed through a variety of newly-legislated requirements:

1. A multilingual written notice, provided prior to each transaction, will explicitly detail the exact amount of local currency destined to the designated recipient, the exchange rate applied to the transfer, and a full-disclosure of any applicable fee structures.

2. Similarly, a post-transfer receipt in the user's native language will be provided. This notice will document the amount of money to be received, expected date of delivery, recipient identification information, and a statement explaining a user's rights regarding error resolution and recourse.

While we applaud the passage of this law and commend the legislators and advocacy groups on their efforts, we must also maintain a pragmatic perspective. As Francis Calpotura, Executive Director of TIGRA and architect of Remit4change.net, says: "Until we reform the prevailing business model itself, one that blatantly eschews corporate social responsibility and proactive community reinvestment, we haven't genuinely affected the predatory nature of this $420 billion industry."

TIGRA (Transnational Institute for Grassroots Research and Action) is a movement center for transnational organizing that promotes financial justice through the economic power of immigrants-those who send billions of dollars to families they've left behind. TIGRA considers the system of remittances as the next frontier of economic security work that links domestic and global issues.

TIGRA (Instituto Transnacional de Investigacion y Accion de Base) es un centro de trabajo de organización transnacional para fomentar movimientos populares abogando por la justicia económica a través del poder económico de los migrantes - los que mandan miles de millones de dólares a sus familias que dejaron atrás. TIGRA considera que el sistema de remesas es la nueva frontera en la lucha por la seguridad económica que une los problemas domesticos con los globales

Preparan senadores del PRD propuesta de reforma migratoria | Milenio.com

La prensa mexicana informa que la bancada parlamentaria del PRD en el Senado mexicano prepara una propuesta de reforma migratoria mexicana como respuesta a lo que actualmente ocurre en Estados Unidos.

Según se informa, tal reforma tiene como objetivo favorecer a los mexicanos que emigran a Estados Unidos.

Tal propuesta seria una de varias reformas que se están preparando actualmente en el Congreso, tanto en la Cámara de Diputados como en el Senado, entre las que tocan asuntos de los derechos políticos de los mexicanos en el extranjero, como los derechos de inmigrantes y transmigrantes que entran a territorio mexicano de Centro América y otras partes del mundo.

La nota completa:

Preparan senadores del PRD propuesta de reforma migratoria | Milenio.com

Lawrence Downes: The Hunt for American Decency in the Arizona Quicksand

Lawrence Downes has written an interesting article in the NYT discussing the battleground that Arizona has become in the nation's debate over immigration reform.

Ironically, he underlines when quoting Thomas Saenz, current president of MALDEF, the very same people who are calling for laws like SB 1070 to end an apparent lawlessness are the sames one who proudly bare their contempt for the U.S. Constitution.

Editorial Observer - The Hunt for American Decency in the Arizona Quicksand - NYTimes.com

Secretaria de Educación Publica de México: Convocatoria Para el Programa de Educación Superior Abierta y Distancia (ESAD)

La Secretaria de Educacion Publica de Mexico (SEP) ha lanzado una convocatoria a los mexicanos en el exterior interesados en continuar sus estudios superiores, para hacerlo por medio de su programa ESAD. A continuacion la convocatoria y el link para el documento informativo:

Convocatoria Internacional
| |
El Programa de Educación Superior Abierta y Distancia (ESAD), por conducto de la Subsecretaría de Educación Superior (SES) y en colaboración de la Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores (SRE), convoca a todas las personas de nacionalidad mexicana que residan en cualquier país fuera de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, interesadas en cursar estudios del tipo superior, en la modalidad no escolarizada, abierta y a distancia, a que del 12 de julio al 8 de agosto de 2010, inicien el proceso de registro.


El primer paso para estudiar una carrera es decidirse y comenzar los trámites que lo hagan posible. Ahora que has solicitado ingresar formalmente a Programa ESAD, debes cubrir una serie de requisitos que te permitirán estudiar el Curso Propedéutico, para ello es necesario que realices el Registro. Si tienes alguna duda respecto a la Convocatoria Internacional, vista la sección de preguntas frecuentes.

Te invitamos cordialmente a que estudies con nosotros. Mucho éxito y agradecemos tu confianza.

Da clic aquí para descargar la Convocatoria Internacional 2010

Olvide la SB 1070: la disputa es otra

Un articulo del periodista Jorge Fernandez Menendez, analizando el contexto político en que aparece la SB 1070 en Arizona.

Entre otras cosas, se destaca la estrategia política que se ha seguido de parte de los republicanos para arrinconar al presidente Barack Obama y debilitarlo dentro del contexto estadounidense.

Una de las consecuencias de los sucesos es algo que ya hemos comentado previamente: la creciente militarización de la frontera como una forma de asegurar la capacidad del gobierno para controlar el territorio nacional ante las amenazas del narcotrafico, la inmigración indocumentada, y posibles actos terroristas.

La nota completa:

Exc�lsior - Olvide la SB 1070: la disputa es otra

Sarah Palin Says Obama Does Not Have the Cojones to Fix Immigration; Supports SB 1070

Former Alaska Governor, one-time Republican Vice Presidential candidate, current Fox News commentator, and high charging public speaker, Sarah Palin, launches another one of her nonsensical attacks on President Barack Obama, this time focusing on the issue of immigration policy and, more specifically, on the situation in Arizona.

In her rambling intervention, Palin states that Arizona Governor Jan Brewer has the cojones to do what President Obama will not do, which is to protect the American people through the enforcement of immigration laws.

The first thing that comes to mind, of course, is whether Palin has any idea what cojones means in Spanish and if it is the most appropiate term to be used by a high profile, highly-paid public figure who claims to stand for family values, etc.

We'll leave for another ocassion the discussion of her simplistic interpretation of immigration policy and federalism.

Watch the video below: