Working Paper: NBER ID: w23548
Authors: Edward P. Lazear
Abstract: Success of immigrants in the US, measured by earnings or education, varies dramatically by country of origin. Surprisingly, immigrants from Algeria have higher educational attainment than those from Israel or Japan. Another fact: The US admits few migrants from Algeria. Immigration slots are rationed and as a consequence, average immigrant attainment is inversely related to the number from a source country and positively related to its population and education level. The formal model’s three variables explain 73% of the variation in educational attainment of immigrant groups in the US. The theory and predictions are bolstered by Swedish and Canadian data.
Keywords: immigration; educational attainment; policy; selection
JEL Codes: F22; J01; J15; J61; M5
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Number of immigrants from a country (F22) | Average educational attainment of immigrants from that country (I25) |
| Population of the origin country (J11) | Average educational attainment of immigrants from that country (I25) |
| Mean level of education in the origin country (I25) | Average educational attainment of immigrants from that country (I25) |