The Supply Side of Innovation: H-1B Visa Reforms and U.S. Ethnic Invention

William Kerr and William Lincoln ()

Journal of Labor Economics, 2010, vol. 28, issue 3, 473-508

Abstract: This study evaluates the impact of high-skilled immigrants on U.S. technology formation. We use reduced-form specifications that exploit large changes in the H-1B visa program. Higher H-1B admissions increase immigrant science and engineering (SE) employment and patenting by inventors with Indian and Chinese names in cities and firms dependent upon the program relative to their peers. Most specifications find limited effects for native SE employment or patenting. We are able to rule out displacement effects, and small crowding-in effects may exist. Total SE employment and invention increases with higher admissions primarily through direct contributions of immigrants. (c) 2010 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved.

Date: 2010
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (506)

Downloads: (external link)
http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/651934 link to full text (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
Working Paper: The Supply Side of Innovation: H-1B Visa Reforms and US Ethnic Invention (2010)
Working Paper: The Supply Side of Innovation: H-1B Visa Reforms and US Ethnic Invention (2010)
Working Paper: The Supply Side of Innovation: H-1B Visa Reforms and US Ethnic Invention (2008)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ucp:jlabec:v:28:y:2010:i:3:p:473-508

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Labor Economics from University of Chicago Press
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Journals Division ().