Monday, August 30, 2010

Immigration Effects on the U.S. Economy

I just received a very interesting issue of the FRBSF Economic Letter. The topic is The Effect of Immigrants on U.S. Employment and Productivity. I will state up front, it does nothing to provide a sound economic argument for those looking to restrict immigraion on the grounds of protecting American jobs.  And quite frankly, I didn't think it would. If anything, it provides further support for an view put forth several years ago in this issue of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis's The Regional Economist.

I would recommend either or both of these articles for use with your students provided they are reading at grade level. I would think they would make a good discussion starter for labor markets, factors of production, and production function and GDP, just to suggest a few.  If you wouldn't mind, read them over and share your suggestions or thoughts.

1 comment:

Julie said...

Good references for students. Just the other day we discussed immigration in relation to shifting the PPF curve. It made them think. Some students reevaluated their position on immigration. Haven't had a chance to read the article from the San Francisco Fed but was just about to post it on the class Facebook page when I noticed your post! Thanks again for keeping me current!