Seminar by Prof. Kirk Doran, University of Notre Dame
Event details
| Date | 25.05.2018 |
| Hour | 10:30 › 12:00 |
| Speaker | Prof. Kirk Doran, University of Notre Dame |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
"Immigration and Invention: Evidence from the Quota Acts"
Abstract Since (Hicks, 1932), economists have noted that inventions often economize on labor, so scarce labor should encourage more invention. But (Acemoglu, 2010) notes that in canonical macroeconomic models, plentiful labor encourages invention. The stakes of this debate are high in the policy context of mass immigration. We provide the first causal evidence of the effect of mass immigration on invention, using variation induced by 1920s quotas, which ended history's largest international migration to the U.S.. Inventors in cities exposed to fewer low-skilled immigrants applied for fewer patents, an effect driven by fewer patent applications relevant for the industries that lost the most immigrant workers.
Abstract Since (Hicks, 1932), economists have noted that inventions often economize on labor, so scarce labor should encourage more invention. But (Acemoglu, 2010) notes that in canonical macroeconomic models, plentiful labor encourages invention. The stakes of this debate are high in the policy context of mass immigration. We provide the first causal evidence of the effect of mass immigration on invention, using variation induced by 1920s quotas, which ended history's largest international migration to the U.S.. Inventors in cities exposed to fewer low-skilled immigrants applied for fewer patents, an effect driven by fewer patent applications relevant for the industries that lost the most immigrant workers.
Practical information
- General public
- Free