Immigrants and the Making of America

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Sequeira, Sandra; Nunn, Nathan; Qian, Nancy
• 署名单位: University of London; London School Economics & Political Science; Center for Economic & Policy Research (CEPR); Harvard University; National Bureau of Economic Research; Fudan University
• 刊物名称: REVIEW OF ECONOMIC STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0034-6527
• DOI: 10.1093/restud/rdz003
• 发表日期: 2020
• 页码: 382-419
• 关键词: cultural-diversity; economic outcomes; AGE; US; POOR

摘要

We study the effects of European immigration to the U.S. during the Age of Mass Migration (1850-1920) on economic prosperity. Exploiting cross-county variation in immigration that arises from the interaction of fluctuations in aggregate immigrant flows and of the gradual expansion of the railway network, we find that counties with more historical immigration have higher income, less poverty, less unemployment, higher rates of urbanization, and greater educational attainment today. The long-run effects seem to capture the persistence of short-run benefits, including greater industrialization, increased agricultural productivity, and more innovation.