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Illegal Immigration, Factor Substitution and Economic Growth

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Abstract

This paper develops a growth model with illegal immigration in which there exist two types of domestic labor, skilled and unskilled. These two types enter the production via a CES aggregator. In a similar manner, the paper also allows for the possibility of imperfect substitution between native and immigrant labor. Within such a framework it analyzes the e ects of an increase in immigration on the average capital stock, individual wages, asset holdings and the distribution of wealth. Contrary to previous results in the literature, the paper shows that illegal immigration may not necessarily make the distribution of wealth more unequal and unskilled labor worse o . This is so because the end results depend on the elasticities of substitution between di erent types of labor. Thus, assuming erroneously that immigrants and natives are perfect substitutes could lead to results that are not only over-estimated but also of the wrong sign.

Suggested Citation

  • Theodore Palivos & Jianpo Xue & Chong K. Yip, 2011. "Illegal Immigration, Factor Substitution and Economic Growth," Discussion Paper Series 2011_10, Department of Economics, University of Macedonia, revised Jun 2011.
    • Handle: RePEc:mcd:mcddps:2011_10
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    File URL: http://aphrodite.uom.gr/econwp/pdf/dp102011.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Giovanni Peri & Chad Sparber, 2016. "Task Specialization, Immigration, and Wages," World Scientific Book Chapters,in: The Economics of International Migration, chapter 3, pages 81-115 World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    2. Hazari, Bharat R. & Sgro, Pasquale M., 2003. "The simple analytics of optimal growth with illegal migrants," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 141-151, October.
    3. Palivos, Theodore & Karagiannis, Giannis, 2010. "The Elasticity Of Substitution As An Engine Of Growth," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(5), pages 617-628, November.
    4. Rainer Klump & Harald Preissler, 2000. "CES Production Functions and Economic Growth," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 102(1), pages 41-56, March.
    5. Gianmarco I. P. Ottaviano & Giovanni Peri, 2021. "Rethinking The Effect Of Immigration On Wages," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Firms and Workers in a Globalized World Larger Markets, Tougher Competition, chapter 9, pages 245-290, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    6. Giovanni Peri & Chad Sparber, 2016. "Task Specialization, Immigration, and Wages," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: The Economics of International Migration, chapter 3, pages 81-115, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    7. de La Grandville, Olivier, 1989. "In Quest of the Slutsky Diamond," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 79(3), pages 468-481, June.
    8. Robert M. Solow, 1956. "A Contribution to the Theory of Economic Growth," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 70(1), pages 65-94.
    9. Litina, Anastasia & Palivos, Theodore, 2010. "The Behavior Of The Saving Rate In The Neoclassical Optimal Growth Model," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 14(4), pages 482-500, September.
    10. Moy, Hon Man & Yip, Chong K., 2006. "The simple analytics of optimal growth with illegal migrants: A clarification," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 30(12), pages 2469-2475, December.
    11. Olivier de La Grandville & Rainer Klump, 2000. "Economic Growth and the Elasticity of Substitution: Two Theorems and Some Suggestions," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 90(1), pages 282-291, March.
    12. Liu, Xiangbo, 2010. "On the macroeconomic and welfare effects of illegal immigration," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 34(12), pages 2547-2567, December.
    13. Chris Papageorgiou & Marianne Saam, 2008. "Two‐level CES Production Technology in the Solow and Diamond Growth Models," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 110(1), pages 119-143, March.
    14. Theodore Palivos & Chong Yip, 2010. "Illegal immigration in a heterogeneous labor market," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 101(1), pages 21-47, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Chassamboulli, Andri & Palivos, Theodore, 2013. "The impact of immigration on the employment and wages of native workers," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 38(PA), pages 19-34.
    2. Parello, Carmelo Pierpaolo, 2012. "Indeterminacy in a dynamic small open economy with international migration," MPRA Paper 40013, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Illegal Immigration; Economic Growth; Income Distribution; Factor Sub- stitution.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O41 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models
    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • E25 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Aggregate Factor Income Distribution

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