Do immigrants really take jobs and lower wages?
Digest
The episode delves into the Mariel Boat Lift, a significant event in 1980 where 125,000 Cuban immigrants arrived in Florida, providing economists with a natural experiment to study the impact of immigration on the labor market. The episode highlights the contrasting views of two prominent economists, David Card and George Borjas, who have been at the forefront of this debate for decades. Card's initial research, focusing on the Mariel Boat Lift, suggested that immigration had little to no negative impact on wages and employment in Miami. However, Borjas, who initially disagreed with Card's findings, later conducted his own analysis of the Mariel data, focusing on low-skilled workers, and concluded that immigration did have a negative impact on wages for this group. The episode explores the controversy surrounding Borjas' findings, with other economists raising concerns about his methodology and the narrowness of his sample. The episode concludes by highlighting the consensus reached by a group of leading experts, including Borjas, who ultimately agreed that the long-term impact of immigration on wages and employment for native-born workers is very small. Despite this consensus, the debate continues, with some economists continuing to challenge the findings and the political discourse on immigration remaining heavily influenced by the issue.
Outlines
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Introduction
This Chapter introduces the topic of immigration and its impact on the labor market, highlighting the ongoing debate among economists and politicians. It sets the stage for the episode's focus on the Mariel Boat Lift as a natural experiment to study this issue.
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The Mariel Boat Lift: A Natural Experiment
This Chapter delves into the historical context of the Mariel Boat Lift, explaining how it came about and the influx of Cuban immigrants into Florida. It introduces David Card, a Nobel Prize-winning economist, who saw this event as an opportunity to study the effects of immigration on the labor market.
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The Controversy and its Impact
This Chapter explores the controversy surrounding George Borjas' research on the Mariel Boat Lift, which challenged David Card's findings and suggested a negative impact of immigration on wages for low-skilled workers. It discusses the media attention and political implications of Borjas' work, as well as the critiques raised by other economists.
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Towards Consensus
This Chapter describes the efforts of the National Academy of Sciences to bring together leading experts in immigration economics to reach a consensus on the issue. It highlights the challenges and eventual agreement reached, which largely supported Card's initial findings that immigration has a minimal impact on wages and employment for native-born workers.
Keywords
Mariel Boat Lift
The Mariel Boat Lift was a mass exodus of Cubans from Cuba to the United States in 1980. It began when Fidel Castro allowed Cubans to leave the country, leading to an influx of over 125,000 Cuban immigrants arriving in Florida. This event provided economists with a unique opportunity to study the impact of immigration on the labor market.
David Card
David Card is a Nobel Prize-winning economist known for his pioneering work on the impact of immigration on the labor market. He is particularly recognized for his research on the Mariel Boat Lift, which suggested that immigration had little to no negative impact on wages and employment in Miami.
George Borjas
George Borjas is a prominent economist who has been a leading voice in the debate about the impact of immigration on the labor market. He is known for his research, which often suggests that immigration can have negative effects on wages, particularly for low-skilled workers. His work on the Mariel Boat Lift, which challenged David Card's findings, sparked significant controversy.
Natural Experiment
A natural experiment is a research method that uses real-world events or situations to study the effects of a particular variable. In economics, natural experiments are often used to study the impact of policies or events on the economy. The Mariel Boat Lift is a classic example of a natural experiment used to study the impact of immigration.
Immigration Economics
Immigration economics is a branch of economics that studies the economic effects of immigration. It examines the impact of immigration on wages, employment, productivity, and other economic indicators. It is a complex and often contentious field, with economists holding diverse views on the overall effects of immigration.
Supply and Demand
Supply and demand is a fundamental economic principle that describes the relationship between the quantity of a good or service that producers are willing to offer (supply) and the quantity that consumers are willing to buy (demand) at a given price. This principle is often used to explain how prices are determined in a market.
Labor Market
The labor market is the market where workers and employers interact to determine wages and employment levels. It is influenced by factors such as supply and demand for labor, government policies, and technological advancements.
Wages
Wages are the compensation that workers receive for their labor. They are typically expressed as an hourly rate, a salary, or a piece rate. Wages are influenced by factors such as the supply and demand for labor, the worker's skills and experience, and the industry in which they work.
Employment
Employment refers to the number of people who are currently working. It is a key indicator of the health of the economy. Employment levels are influenced by factors such as the overall economic growth, government policies, and technological advancements.
Q&A
What was the Mariel Boat Lift and why was it significant for studying immigration?
The Mariel Boat Lift was a mass exodus of Cubans from Cuba to the United States in 1980. It provided economists with a unique natural experiment to study the impact of immigration on the labor market, as a large number of immigrants arrived in Florida within a short period.
What were the contrasting views of David Card and George Borjas on the impact of immigration?
David Card's research on the Mariel Boat Lift suggested that immigration had little to no negative impact on wages and employment in Miami. George Borjas, however, argued that immigration can have negative effects on wages, particularly for low-skilled workers, and his research on the Mariel Boat Lift challenged Card's findings.
What were the main critiques of Borjas' research on the Mariel Boat Lift?
Other economists criticized Borjas' methodology, arguing that his narrow focus on a specific subset of workers and his exclusion of Hispanic workers from his sample made his findings less reliable and potentially misleading.
What consensus did the National Academy of Sciences reach regarding the impact of immigration on wages and employment?
The consensus reached by a group of leading experts, including Borjas, was that the long-term impact of immigration on wages and employment for native-born workers is very small.
Despite the consensus, why does the debate about immigration continue?
The debate about immigration continues because some economists continue to challenge the findings, and the political discourse on immigration remains heavily influenced by the issue, with politicians often using economic arguments to justify their positions.
Show Notes
The debate within the field of economics often centers on Nobel-prize winner David Card's ground-breaking paper, "The Impact of the Mariel Boatlift on the Miami Labor Market." Today on the show: the fight over that paper, and what it tells us about the debate over immigration.
More Listening:
- When The Boats Arrive
- The Men on the Roof
This episode was hosted by Amanda Aronczyk and Jeff Guo. It was produced by Willa Rubin, edited by Annie Brown, and engineered by Valentina Rodríguez Sánchez. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.
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In all other fields of economics there is the law of supply and demand, except here. #defundnpr.
illegal, did you learn that word in your woke brain