The political economy of trade and migration: evidence from the U.S. Congress

Conconi, Paola, Facchini, Giovanni, Steinhardt, Max F. and Zanardi, Maurizio (2018) The political economy of trade and migration: evidence from the U.S. Congress. CEP Discussion Papers (CEPDP1564). London School of Economics and Political Science. Centre for Economic Performance, London, UK.

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Abstract

We systematically examine the drivers of U.S. congressmen's votes on trade and migration reforms since the 1970's. Standard trade theory suggests that reforms that lower barriers to goods and migrants should have similar distributional effects, hurting low-skilled U.S. workers while benefiting high-skilled workers. In line with this prediction, we find that House members representing more skilled labor abundant districts are more likely to support both trade and migration liberalization. Still, important differences exist: Democrats favor trade reforms less than Republicans, while the opposite is true for immigration reforms; welfare state considerations and network effects shape support for immigration, but not for trade.

Item Type:	Monograph (Discussion Paper)
Official URL:	http://cep.lse.ac.uk/
Additional Information:	© 2018 The Authors
Divisions:	Centre for Economic Performance
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) H Social Sciences > HF Commerce J Political Science > JV Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration. International migration J Political Science > JZ International relations
JEL classification:	F - International Economics > F1 - Trade F - International Economics > F2 - International Factor Movements and International Business > F22 - International Migration
Date Deposited:	11 Jan 2019 10:41
Last Modified:	15 Sep 2023 23:45
Funders:	Economic and Social Research Council
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/91685

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