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Immigration and growth in an ageing economy - version 2

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  • Muysken, Joan

    (Department of Economics, Maastricht University)

  • Ziesemer, Thomas

    (UNU-MERIT and Department of Economics, Maastricht University)

Abstract

This paper argues that immigration can help to alleviate the burden ageing presents for the welfare states of most Western Economies. We develop a macroeconomic framework which deals with the impact of both ageing and immigration on economic growth. This is combined with a detailed model of the labour market, to include the interaction with low-skilled unemployment. The empirical relevance of some crucial model assumptions is shown to hold for the Netherlands, 1973 - 2009. The conclusions are that immigration will help to alleviate the ageing problem, as long as the immigrants will be able to participate in the labour force at least as much as the native population. Moreover, the better educated the immigrants are or become, the higher their contribution to growth will be.

Suggested Citation

  • Muysken, Joan & Ziesemer, Thomas, 2011. "Immigration and growth in an ageing economy - version 2," MERIT Working Papers 2011-037, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
  • Handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2011037
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. 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].
    2. Marcus H. Böhme & Sarah Kups, 2017. "The economic effects of labour immigration in developing countries: A literature review," OECD Development Centre Working Papers 335, OECD Publishing.
    3. Mathijs Gerritsen & Jens Høj, 2013. "The Dutch Labour Market: Preparing for the Future," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 1012, OECD Publishing.
    4. Muysken, Joan & Ziesemer, Thomas, 2011. "Immigration and growth in an ageing economy - version 2," MERIT Working Papers 2011-037, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    5. Kosta Josifidis & Novica Supic & Emilija Beker Pucar & Sladjana Srdic, 2014. "Labour migration flows: EU8+2 vs EU-15," Journal of Business Economics and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(1), pages 41-55, February.
    6. Ding, Hong, 2012. "Economic growth and welfare state: a debate of econometrics," MPRA Paper 39685, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Muysken, Joan & Vallizadeh, Ehsan & Ziesemer, Thomas, 2012. "The impact of Medium-Skilled immigration: A general equilibrium approach," MERIT Working Papers 2012-055, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    8. Joan Muysken & Ehsan Vallizadeh & Thomas Ziesemer, 2015. "Migration, Unemployment, and Skill Downgrading," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 117(2), pages 403-451, April.
    9. Joan Muysken & Thomas Ziesemer, 2014. "The Effect of Immigration on Economic Growth in an Ageing Economy," Bulletin of Applied Economics, Risk Market Journals, vol. 1(1), pages 35-63.
    10. J. Muysken & T. H. W. Ziesemer, 2013. "A permanent effect of temporary immigration on economic growth," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(28), pages 4050-4059, October.
    11. Kosta Josifidis & John Hall & Valérie Berenger & Novica Supić, 2013. "Eastern Migrations vs Western Welfare States – (Un)Biased Fears," Panoeconomicus, Savez ekonomista Vojvodine, Novi Sad, Serbia, vol. 60(3), pages 323-345, May.
    12. Ding, Hong, 2012. "Unemployment and Welfare State: What do the Data Tell Us?," MPRA Paper 41921, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    ageing; immigration; unemployment; skills;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • O52 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Europe

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