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New research on immigration from Harvard Business School faculty on issues including global patterns of migration among skilled workers, new statistics on the patterns of business formation by immigrant entrepreneurs in the United States, and why immigrant workers tend to cluster in industries along ethnic lines.
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The Impact of Technology and Trade on Migration: Evidence from the US

by Marius Faber, Andres Sarto, and Marco Tabellini

Labor mobility can re-equilibrate local labor markets after an economic shock. Both robot adoption and Chinese import competition between 1990 and 2015 caused large declines in manufacturing employment across US local labor markets (commuting zones, CZs). However, only robots were associated with a decline in CZ population, which resulted from reduced in-migration rather than by increased out-migration.

Why Not Open America's Doors to All the World’s Talent?

by James Heskett

SUMMING UP: The H-1B visa program is exploited by some employers to replace high-paid talent, but that doesn't mean foreign workers should be shut out of working in the United States, according to many of James Heskett's readers. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Migrant Inventors and the Technological Advantage of Nations

by Dany Bahar, Prithwiraj Choudhury, and Hillel Rapoport

This study provides robust econometric evidence for how immigrant inventors shape the innovation dynamics of their receiving countries. Countries receiving inventors from other nations that specialize in patenting particular technologies are more likely to have a significant increase in patent applications of the same technology.

The Gift of Global Talent: Innovation Policy and the Economy

by William R. Kerr

High-skilled workers in today’s knowledge-based economy are arguably the most important resource to the success of businesses, regions, and industries. This chapter pulls from Kerr’s book The Gift of Global Talent to examine the migration dynamics of high-skilled individuals. He argues that improving our knowledge of high-skilled migration can lead to better policy decisions.

Immigrant Networking and Collaboration: Survey Evidence from CIC

by Sari Pekkala Kerr and William R. Kerr

This study compares United States-born and immigrant entrepreneurs’ use of networking opportunities provided by CIC, the former Cambridge Innovation Center. Immigrants clearly take more advantage of networking opportunities at CIC, especially around the exchange of advice. It remains to be seen whether this generates long-term performance advantages for immigrants.

Forecasting Airport Transfer Passenger Flow Using Real-Time Data and Machine Learning

by Xiaojia Guo, Yael Grushka-Cockayne, and Bert De Reyck

Passengers arriving at international hubs often endure delays, especially at immigration and security. This study of London’s Heathrow Airport develops a system to provide real-time information about transfer passengers’ journeys through the airport to better serve passengers, airlines, and their employees. It shows how advanced machine learning could be accessible to managers.

Is the US Losing its Ability to Attract Highly Skilled Migrant Workers?

by Martha Lagace

As debates sharpen on the benefits and drawbacks of migrant labor, William R. Kerr's new book explores why global talent flows matter to national economic development and security. Book excerpt and author interview. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

From Immigrants to Americans: Race and Assimilation During the Great Migration

by Vasiliki Fouka, Soumyajit Mazumder, and Marco Tabellini

The Great Migration of African Americans and the mass migration of Europeans both contributed to forming the modern American racial and ethnic landscape. This analysis finds that native whites more readily accepted European immigrants as African Americans arrived in the US North during the first Great Migration, facilitating the assimilation of European immigrants in northern urban centers.

Gifts of the Immigrants, Woes of the Natives: Lessons from the Age of Mass Migration

by Marco Tabellini

Investigating the economic and political effects of immigration across US cities between 1910 and 1930, this paper finds that political opposition to immigration can arise even when immigrants bring widespread economic benefits. The paper provides evidence that cultural differences between immigrants and natives were responsible, at least in part, for natives’ anti-immigration reactions.

No More General Tso's? A Threat to 'Knowledge Recombination'

by Michael Blanding

Immigrants bring with them innovations from their homelands, knowledge that local inventors often build upon, says Prithwiraj Choudhury. Examples: turmeric medicine, double-entry bookkeeping, and American Chinese food. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

In America, Immigrants Really Do Get the Job Done

by Michael Blanding

Far from being a drain on the US economy, William Kerr’s research finds immigrants are a driver of innovation and entrepreneurship. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Immigrant Entrepreneurship in America: Evidence from the Survey of Business Owners 2007 & 2012

by Sari Pekkala Kerr and William R. Kerr

How do businesses created by immigrants differ from those of natives? This study using the 2007 and 2012 Survey of Business Owners records finds that while immigrant-owned businesses have a modestly different industry composition than native-owned businesses, there are ten-fold differences across states in terms of the share of businesses owned by immigrants.

Why German Business Supports, Trains and Hires Syrian Refugees

Re: Rebecca M. Henderson

Germany has been taking in more than a million Syrian refugees each year, and involves the business community in making them productive workers. Has it worked out as hoped? In this podcast, Rebecca Henderson discusses her case study on Germany's experience. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Why These Business School Professors Oppose Trump's Executive Order on Immigration

by Staff

More than 14,800 professors at United States colleges and universities —including some 50 Nobel laureates— signed a petition opposing President Donald Trump’s Executive Order on immigration. Signatories from Harvard Business School explain their opposition. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

High-Skilled Migration and Agglomeration

by Sari Pekkala Kerr, William Kerr, Çağlar Özden, and Christopher Parsons

Individuals with valuable skills have a higher propensity and offers to migrate both domestically and abroad due to the exceptional returns they can earn. Yet not all potential destinations are equally attractive in their professional and social opportunities. This review provides an in-depth analysis of available data and introduces several newly available data sources that are open to researchers. The patterns of high-skilled migration are quite consistent with agglomeration economies, such as the broad flows from a large number of source countries to very few destination countries. These data further show that migration selection processes for skill are becoming sharper and increasingly involve female migrants.

Global Talent Flows

by Sari Pekkala Kerr, William R. Kerr, Çağllar Özden, and Christopher Parsons

Global migration patterns have become increasingly asymmetric and skewed along several dimensions, especially as skilled migration has become a greater force globally. This paper first surveys the landscape of global talent mobility, including under-appreciated features like the rising importance of the migration of talented women. The review next discusses the causes and consequences of high-skilled migration and the particular role of agglomeration/cluster economies. Rather than having migration reduce the incentives for others to migrate to a location, agglomeration effects for talented workers often serve to instead heighten the incentives for future talent to migrate as well (e.g., Hollywood). The paper next discusses the role of national “gatekeepers” in global talent flows, and contrasts the two main approaches taken by governments (i.e., points-based systems vs. employer-driven systems). While overall patterns will likely remain similar, different forms of high-skilled migration are likely to emerge and evolve.

One Quarter of Entrepreneurs in the United States Are Immigrants

by Michael Blanding

Immigrants are 15 percent of the overall United States population, but they become entrepreneurs at a much higher rate, according to new research by William Kerr and Sari Pekkala Kerr. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Immigrant Entrepreneurship

by Sari Pekkala Kerr and William R. Kerr

Immigrant entrepreneurship is a topic of key policy interest but one with few facts. The authors construct a data platform using US Census Bureau administrative data to provide new statistics on the patterns of business formation by immigrant entrepreneurs and on the medium-term success of those businesses. Immigrants account for around a quarter of US entrepreneurs, and this share has been increasing since 1995. Immigrant entrepreneurs display a stronger up-or-out dynamic that is typical of young firm growth than natives—they fail more frequently, but immigrant-founded firms that persist experience greater employment growth compared to their native counterparts.

Without Immigrants, We Wouldn't Have Google

by Shane Greenstein

What is the secret sauce of US commercial success? It’s the contributions of immigrants, like Google co-founder Sergey Brin, who have made huge contributions to the technological and economic success of the United States, argues Harvard Business School Professor Shane Greenstein. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.

Why Immigrant Workers Cluster in Particular Industries

by Michael Blanding

Anyone who lives in an American city can see how immigrants tend to cluster in industries along ethnic lines. Professor William R. Kerr explains why, and what this means for the US economy. Open for comment; Comment(s) posted.