The Effect of Democratic Governors on Internal Migration of Low-Skilled Immigrants and U.S.-born Workers (with Anna Maria Mayda)
(Latest Version of Draft) (JMP, previously circulated as "Party Affiliation of Governors and Internal Migration of Low-Skilled Immigrants: Evidence from the US States")
This paper estimates the causal impact of Democratic victories at the state level on interstate low-skilled migration. We compare states narrowly won by Democrats to those narrowly won by Republicans, using 2000–2019 data on U.S.-born and Hispanic immigrants without a college degree. We find that Democratic victories reduce net interstate migration inflows of low-skilled Hispanic immigrants, and increase those of low-skilled U.S.-born whites and blacks. This divergence is driven by heterogenous impacts in the labor-market. Democratic governors worsen Hispanic immigrants' employment prospects, and have the opposite effect on U.S.-born workers. Policy differences associated with Democratic control (higher minimum wages and more generous earned income tax credits) interact with imperfect substitutability between immigrants and natives, shifting employment towards native-born workers. These findings suggest that interstate migration of low-skilled Hispanic immigrants is driven primarily by economic returns rather than ideological alignment.
The Political Impact of Second-Generation Immigrants: Evidence from the U.S. (with Anna Maria Mayda and Meixi Wan)
The Success of Immigrants from Non-English-Speaking Countries in Australia: The Role of Voluntary Job Mobility and Occupational Segregation
Minimum Wage and Location Choice of Workers with Heterogeneous Productivity
Price Effect of Low-skilled Immigration: Evidence from Korean CPI Data
Demand Shift of Immigration in Korean Local Services Sectors (with Seongmin Seo)