Ep. 171: Do Legal Pathways Reduce Illegal Entries? And the Economic Impact of Immigration Restrictions

In this week’s episode, BPC Senior Advisor Theresa Cardinal Brown talks with Michael Clemens, professor of economics at George Mason University, who has studied the economic causes and effects of migration all over the world. His latest research, based on detailed examination of border crossing data, shows that offering more lawful pathways to immigrants reduces unlawful border crossings. We also talk about the importance of good data for examining immigration policy and how traditional understandings of the linkages between migration and development may not be correct.  

Michael Clemens Bio: Economics | Faculty and Staff: Michael A Clemens (gmu.edu) 

PIIE Article: Offering more lawful pathways for US border crossings reduces unlawful crossings | PIIE 

Journal of Economic Perspectives Article: Economics and Emigration: Trillion-Dollar Bills on the Sidewalk? – American Economic Association (aeaweb.org)