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What is the Optimal Immigration Policy? Migration, Jobs and Welfare

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  • Joao Guerreiro
  • Sergio Rebelo
  • Pedro Teles

Abstract

We study the immigration policy that maximizes the welfare of the native population in an economy where the government designs an optimal redistributive welfare system and supplies public goods. We show that when the government can design different tax systems for immigrants and natives, free immigration is optimal. It is also optimal to use the tax system to encourage the immigration of high-skill workers and discourage that of low-skill workers. When immigrants and natives must be treated alike, banning low-skill immigration and allowing free immigration for high-skill workers is optimal. However, there might be no high-skill immigration when heavy taxes are levied on all high-skill workers, both natives and immigrants.

Suggested Citation

  • Joao Guerreiro & Sergio Rebelo & Pedro Teles, 2019. "What is the Optimal Immigration Policy? Migration, Jobs and Welfare," NBER Working Papers 26154, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:26154
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    Cited by:

    1. Jinno, Masatoshi & Yasuoka, Masaya, 2022. "The effects of admittingi Immigrants: a look at Japan’s school and pension systems," MPRA Paper 115182, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Busch, Christopher & Krueger, Dirk & Ludwig, Alexander & Popova, Irina & Iftikhar, Zainab, 2020. "Should Germany have built a new wall? Macroeconomic lessons from the 2015-18 refugee wave," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 28-55.
    3. Juanmarti Mestres, Arnau & López Casasnovas, Guillem & Vall Castelló, Judit, 2021. "The deadly effects of losing health insurance," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    4. Alessandria, George & Bai, Yan & Deng, Minjie, 2020. "Migration and sovereign default risk," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 1-22.
    5. Michael A. Clemens, 2021. "The Fiscal Effect of Immigration: Reducing Bias in Influential Estimates," RF Berlin - CReAM Discussion Paper Series 2134, Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RF Berlin) - Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM).
    6. Janeba, Eckhard & Schulz, Karl, 2023. "Nonlinear taxation and international mobility in general equilibrium," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 218(C).
    7. Orhan Erem Atesagaoglu & Hakki Yazici, 2021. "Optimal Taxation of Capital in the Presence of Declining Labor Share," Bristol Economics Discussion Papers 21/739, School of Economics, University of Bristol, UK.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation

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