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Restrictive Immigration Policy in Germany: Pains and Gains Foregone?

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  • Gabriel Felbermayr
  • Wido Geis
  • Wilhelm Kohler
  • Gabriel J. Felbermayr

Abstract

Many European countries restrict immigration from new EU member countries. The rationale is to avoid adverse wage and employment effects. We quantify these effects for Germany. Following Borjas (2003), we estimate a structural model of labor demand, based on elasticities of substitution between workers with different experience levels and education. We allow for unemployment which we model in a price-wage-setting framework. Simulating a counterfactual scenario without restrictions for migration from new EU members countries, we find moderate negative wage effects, combined with increased unemployment for some types of workers. Wage-setting mitigates wage cuts.

Suggested Citation

  • Gabriel Felbermayr & Wido Geis & Wilhelm Kohler & Gabriel J. Felbermayr, 2008. "Restrictive Immigration Policy in Germany: Pains and Gains Foregone?," CESifo Working Paper Series 2316, CESifo Group Munich.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_2316
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    Cited by:

    1. Vallizadeh, Ehsan & Joan, Muysken & Thomas, Ziesemer, 2012. "The impact of medium-skilled immigration: a general equilibrium approach," MPRA Paper 40006, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Edo, Anthony & Rapoport, Hillel, 2019. "Minimum wages and the labor market effects of immigration," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    3. Ottaviano, Gianmarco & Peri, Giovanni, 2008. "Immigration and National Wages: Clarifying the Theory and the Empirics," CEPR Discussion Papers 6916, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. Michele Battisti & Gabriel Felbermayr, 2015. "Migranten im deutschen Arbeitsmarkt: Löhne, Arbeitslosigkeit, Erwerbsquoten," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 68(20), pages 39-47, October.
    5. N. N., 2009. "Labour Mobility within the EU in the Context of Enlargement and the Functioning of the Transitional Arrangements," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 35641, November.
    6. Felbermayr, Gabriel & Grossmann, Volker & Kohler, Wilhelm, 2012. "Migration, International Trade and Capital Formation: Cause or Effect?," IZA Discussion Papers 6975, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    7. Michael Gerfin & Boris Kaiser, 2010. "The Effects of Immigration on Wages: An Application of the Structural Skill-Cell Approach," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics (SJES), Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics (SSES), vol. 146(IV), pages 709-739, December.
    8. TOMIURA Eiichi & ITO Banri & MUKUNOKI Hiroshi & WAKASUGI Ryuhei, 2017. "Individual Characteristics, Behavioral Biases, and Attitudes toward Immigration: Evidence from a survey in Japan," Discussion papers 17033, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    9. Joël MACHADO, 2012. "On the welfare impacts of an immigration amnesty," Discussion Papers (IRES - Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales) 2012010, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    10. Matteo Cacciatore & Giuseppe Fiori & Nora Traum, 2020. "Hours and Employment Over the Business Cycle: A Structural Analysis," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 35, pages 240-262, January.
    11. Vallizadeh, Ehsan & Muysken, Joan & Ziesemer, Thomas, 2013. "Migration, unemployment, and skill downgrading : a specific-factors approach," IAB Discussion Paper 201313, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    12. de la Rica, Sara & Glitz, Albrecht & Ortega, Francesc, 2013. "Immigration in Europe: Trends, Policies and Empirical Evidence," IZA Discussion Papers 7778, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. D'Amuri, Francesco & Ottaviano, Gianmarco I.P. & Peri, Giovanni, 2010. "The labor market impact of immigration in Western Germany in the 1990s," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(4), pages 550-570, May.
    14. Anthony Edo, 2013. "The Impact of Immigration on Native Wages and Employment," Post-Print halshs-00881131, HAL.
    15. Daniel Heuermann, 2011. "Human Capital Externalities in Western Germany," Spatial Economic Analysis, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(2), pages 139-165.
    16. Enzo Weber & Roland Weigand, 2018. "Identifying macroeconomic effects of refugee migration to Germany," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 38(2), pages 852-862.
    17. Edo Anthony, 2015. "The Impact of Immigration on Native Wages and Employment," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 15(3), pages 1151-1196, July.
    18. Edo, Anthony & Toubal, Farid, 2017. "Immigration and the gender wage gap," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 196-214.
    19. Zainab Iftikhar & Anna Zaharieva, 2019. "General equilibrium effects of immigration in Germany: Search and matching approach," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 31, pages 245-276, January.
    20. Akira Shimada, 2013. "Wage Inequality and Human Capital Formation under Migration Possibilities," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(3-4), pages 190-201, December.
    21. Anthony Edo & Farid Toubal, 2015. "Selective Immigration Policies and Wages Inequality," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(1), pages 160-187, February.
    22. Anthony Edo, 2016. "How do rigid labor markets absorb immigration? Evidence from France," IZA Journal of Migration and Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-20, December.
    23. Muysken, Joan & Vallizadeh, Ehsan & Ziesemer, Thomas, 2012. "Migration, Unemployment, and Over-qualification: A Specific-Factors Model Approach," MPRA Paper 43057, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    24. Luca Barbone & Andrew Dabalen, 2009. "Enhancing the development impact of migration," Bank i Kredyt, Narodowy Bank Polski, vol. 40(6), pages 59-76.
    25. Hart, Janine & Clemens, Marius, 2019. "A search and matching approach to business-cycle migration in the euro area," Annual Conference 2019 (Leipzig): 30 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall - Democracy and Market Economy 203659, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    migration; labor;

    JEL classification:

    • F20 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - General
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General

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