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9 - United States

from Part III - Case Studies in Mass Immigration

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 December 2020

Alex Nowrasteh  and
Benjamin Powell
Alex Nowrasteh
Affiliation:
Cato Institute
Benjamin Powell
Affiliation:
Texas Tech University
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Summary

This chapter examines how immigration has impacted US institutions related to economic freedom throughout the country's history. We find that immigration was generally associated with smaller government and growth in government. Immigrants weakend the strength of unions during the period of free immigration prior to the 1920s and unions were often a source of agitation for socialism and bigger government. Government spending and taxation tends to be negatively correlated with immigration. During the period of the US's most restrictive immigration policy, 1920 to 1965, government growth was largest.

Keywords

ImmigrationMigrationImmigrantUnited StatesUnited States Immigration HistoryImmigration and UnionizationImmigration and Government Spending
Type
Chapter
Information
Wretched Refuse?
The Political Economy of Immigration and Institutions
 , pp. 189 - 222
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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