Migration Conference Brings Development Lens To Immigration

As the Obama Administration prepares to reform U.S. immigration policy, the nation remains stuck in the political holding pattern of the last two decades: a stalemate between voices on the right focused on border control and the threat of immigration to native wages and culture, and voices on the left advocating citizenship for a growing underclass of undocumented migrants. On May 26, 2009, the Center for International Development joined forces with the Center for Global Development and the Foundation for an Open America to host Beyond the Fence, a research conference that explored opportunities to break the stalemate by bringing a development lens to the immigration debate.

The event convened thought leaders in migration from across Harvard University, the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan, and the World Bank, among others, to explore policy solutions that would benefit both developed and developing economies.

“We hope to challenge the idea that immigration is a risky proposition for America these days,” said Professor Ricardo Hausmann, CID director. “The potential for win-wins is huge.”

The discussions acknowledged the development opportunity of migration as well as the dysfunction of the current system. New research presented at the conference highlighted the surprising effects of stricter border controls, which often fail to reduce the number of economic migrants and create “mousetrap” incentives that prevent migrants from returning home when labor demand drops because they fear being unable to return as jobs rebound.

Conference papers also spoke to the enormous development gains of migration for both migrants and sending countries. “If you take any people-based measure of well-being, then migration is fantastically good for it,” argued Professor Lant Pritchett, author of Let Their People Come: Breaking the Gridlock on Global Labor Mobility. He quoted World Bank research that allowing just a 3% increase in the immigrant labor force would yield gains of more than $300 billion to citizens of developing countries while also providing a net benefit to citizens of developed countries.

The research also explored the economic benefits of immigration to the U.S., including Professor Michael Kremer’s findings that greater flows of private household workers can improve native welfare and reduce inequality in the U.S. Domestic policy strategies that emerged over the course of the event included a greater focus on designing ethical temporary worker programs that reflect both the needs of receiving countries and the priorities of economic migrants, who are often more interested in mobility and the pursuit of opportunity than full citizenship.

Professor Jeffrey Frankel presented his work on the countercyclical effects of remittances and addressed the topic of temporary workers. “It used to be we were over-focused on the Statue of Liberty and having migrants become citizens,” Frankel said. “I would make it easier to send remittances, easier for workers to go home and then return. The importance to both rich and poor countries is the ‘back and forth’ of labor.”