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Subsidies for Wages and Infrastructure: How to Restrain Undesired Immigration

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  • Robert Fenge
  • Volker Meier

Abstract

This paper investigates regional or international transfers as a means to prevent immigration into unemployment. We analyze a two-country model with free migration in which the rich country is characterized by minimum wage unemployment. Matching grants for investment in infrastructure are superior to wage subsidies because the former instrument leads to a stronger productivity growth in the poor country, reducing both migration flows and unemployment in the rich country. This result is shown to hold for a sufficiently low level of the regional policy budget. It explains the exclusive use of investment subsidies in the EU.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert Fenge & Volker Meier, 2006. "Subsidies for Wages and Infrastructure: How to Restrain Undesired Immigration," CESifo Working Paper Series 1741, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_1741
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Panos Hatzipanayotou & Michael S. Michael, 2005. "Migration, Tied Foreign Aid and the Welfare State," CESifo Working Paper Series 1497, CESifo.
    2. Boldrin, Michele & Canova, Fabio, 2003. "Regional Policies and EU Enlargement," CEPR Discussion Papers 3744, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    3. Philippe Martin, 1998. "Can Regional Policies Affect Growth and Geography in Europe?," Post-Print hal-03416388, HAL.
    4. Robert Fenge & Matthias Wrede, 2004. "EU Regional Policy: Vertical Fiscal Externalities and Matching Grants," CESifo Working Paper Series 1146, CESifo.
    5. Figuieres, Charles & Hindriks, Jean, 2002. "Matching grants and Ricardian equivalence," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 177-191, July.
    6. Myers, Gordon M. & Papageorgiou, Yorgos Y., 2000. "Immigration control and the welfare state," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(2), pages 183-207, February.
    7. Bernard G. Funck & Lodovico Pizzati, 2003. "European Integration, Regional Policy, and Growth," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 15144, December.
    8. Brecher, Richard A. & Choudhri, Ehsan U., 1987. "International migration versus foreign investment in the presence of unemployment," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(3-4), pages 329-342, November.
    9. Philippe Martin, 1998. "Can Regional Policies Affect Growth and Geography in Europe?," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(6), pages 757-774, August.
    10. Wellisch, Dietmar & Wildasin, David E., 1996. "Decentralized income redistribution and immigration," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 187-217, January.
    11. Martin, Philippe, 1999. "Public policies, regional inequalities and growth," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 85-105, July.
    12. Fuest, Clemens & Huber, Bernd, 2006. "Can regional policy in a federation improve economic efficiency?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(3), pages 499-511, February.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Mayr, Karin & Minter, Steffen & Krieger, Tim, 2012. "Policies on illegal immigration in a federation," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(1-2), pages 153-165.
    2. Heijdra, Ben J. & Ligthart, Jenny E., 2007. "Fiscal policy, monopolistic competition, and finite lives," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 325-359, January.
    3. Mayr, Karin & Minter, Steffen & Krieger, Tim, 2012. "Policies on illegal immigration in a federation," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(1-2), pages 153-165.
    4. Tim Krieger & Steffen Minter, 2007. "Immigration amnesties in the southern EU member states - a challenge for the entire EU?," Working Papers CIE 6, Paderborn University, CIE Center for International Economics.

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    Keywords

    regional policy; public infrastructure; wage subsidies; unemployment; migration;
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