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

Sergio Rebelo (), Joao Guerreiro and Pedro Teles

No 13909, CEPR Discussion Papers from C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers

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 immigrants can be excluded from the welfare system, 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, it is optimal to ban low-skill immigration and have free immigration for high-skill workers. However, high-skill workers may choose not to immigrate when there are heavy taxes levied on all high-skill workers, natives and immi- grants alike. We use a calibrated version of the model to study how the optimal immigration policy responds to changes in the skill premia in the U.S. and abroad.

Keywords: Immigration; Optimal taxation; Welfare state; Redistribution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F22 H21 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-int and nep-pbe
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Related works:
Journal Article: What is the optimal immigration policy? Migration, jobs, and welfare (2020)
Working Paper: What is the Optimal Immigration Policy? Migration, Jobs and Welfare (2019)
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