Immigration and the Health of U.S. Natives

Abstract

Immigration may put a strain on the health care system, adversely impacting the health of the native population. At the same time, recent studies have documented the role of immigration in nudging native workers from risk‐intensive, physically demanding jobs toward occupations that require more communication and interactive ability, potentially improving their health. In this article, I examine the relationship between immigration and the health of the native population in the United States. The results of the analysis fail to show that immigration adversely affects the health of U.S. natives. Instead, the findings suggest that the presence of low‐skilled immigrants may improve the health of low‐skilled U.S.‐born individuals.

Are economic arguments against immigration missing the boat? The fiscal effects of the Mariel Boatlift

“…5 5 Similarly, Gunadi (2020) finds no adverse effects of immigration on U.S. natives' health outcomes. …”

“…Borjas (2015) argues that migration of labor, unlike capital, affects institutions that govern economic activity, a fact often ignored by classic economic arguments for free migration (Clemens, 2011;Kennan, 2017). A growing empirical literature addresses this argument and finds no evidence to support Borjas' concerns (Ager & Brueckner, 2018;Bologna Pavlik et al, 2019;Cachanosky et al, 2021;Clark et al, 2015;Clemens & Pritchett, 2019;Nowrasteh & Powell, 2020;Padilla & Cachanosky, 2018, 2020Powell et al, 2017;Tuszynski & Stansel, 2020;Yao et al, 2021). 6 Finally, this article contributes to the understanding of the effects of the Mariel Boatlift, an immigration event that has received considerable attention especially from economists estimating the labor market effects of immigration (Borjas, 2017;Borjas & Monras, 2017;Card, 1990;Clemens & Hunt, 2019;Peri & Yasenov, 2019).…”