By Gordon H. Hanson, Institute for International Economics, September 2005

Immigration is an issue capable of dividing otherwise like-minded people. Identify a group whose members tend to agree on political issues—liberals, conservatives, isolationists, internationalists, environmentalists, free marketers—and one will tend to find that within the group there is no strong majority opinion about US immigration policy. This important new book examines how public finance shapes individual preferences towards immigration policy in the United States.

Americans are roughly divided between those who favor scaling down immigration, out of concern about labor-market pressures and the burden on public finance, and those who support maintaining it at current levels. One result of divisiveness is inaction. Despite apparent agreement across the political spectrum that US immigration policy is in need of repair, the likelihood of serious reform appears slight. Hanson explores the interplay between public finance and immigration policy and offers two strategies to reduce immigration's consequences for the public coffers. One is to attract individuals likely to pay more in taxes than they draw in public services; a second strategy is to restructure immigrants' rights to public benefits. (From Amazon.com)

Read Full Book Online (Divided PDFs)

Book Contents: 

Preface

Executive Summary

Acknowledgment

1. Introduction (PDF)

2. US Immigration and Recent Immigration Trends (PDF)

3. Immigrant Demands on Public Benefits (PDF)

4. Public Preferences on Immigration Policy (PDF)

5. Reforming US Immigration Policy (PDF)

References

Index 

About the Author:

Gordon H. Hanson is a professor of economics in the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies and the Department of Economics at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). He is also a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and coeditor of the Journal of Development Economics. Before joining UCSD, he served on the faculties of the University of Michigan and the University of Texas. He is the author of over 50 academic research publications on the economic consequences of immigration, international trade and investment, and other aspects of globalization.

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