2022/05/01 by Michael A. Clemens · 1 voice · 14 citations
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Cold war #Development economics #Economic geography #Economics #History #Law #Migration and Labor Dynamics #Migration, Ethnicity, and Economy #Neoclassical economics #Period (music) #Philosophy #Political science #Politics #Positive economics #Regional Economics and Spatial Analysis #Relevance (law) #Vitality #World War II
paper · open access · doi:10.1257/pandp.20221050
published in AEA Papers and Proceedings 112, 257-261 (American Economic Association)
openalex publication_date 2022/05/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
The past several decades have witnessed a rebirth of global labor mobility. Workers are moving between countries at rates not seen since before World War I. During the same period, economists' study of international migration has been framed by a particular textbook model of location choice. This paper reviews the evidence on the economic causes and effects of global migration during the past half century. That evidence falsifies most of the core predictions of the old model. The economics of migration will regain vitality and relevance by discarding and replacing its outworn paradigm.