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Journal Article
Migrants and the Making of America
Review of Economic Studies
Author(s)
We study the effects of European immigration to the
United States during the Age of Mass Migration (1850--1920)
on economic prosperity today. We exploit variation in the extent
of immigration across counties arising from the interaction of
fluctuations in aggregate immigrant flows and the gradual expansion
of the railway network across the United States. We find that
locations with more historical immigration today have higher
incomes, less poverty, less unemployment, higher rates of urbanization,
and greater educational attainment. The long-run effects appear to arise
from the persistence of sizeable short-run benefits, including
greater industrialization, increased agricultural productivity,
and more innovation.
Date Published:
2018
Citations:
Nunn, Nathan, Nancy Qian, Sandra Sequeira. 2018. Migrants and the Making of America. Review of Economic Studies.