Publications

• "Brexit and foreign students in gravity" (with Ron Davies)

  • Abstract: This paper examines the impact of Brexit on international student migration. In a structural gravity model, we estimate student migration between 69 countries for counterfactual scenarios in which the United Kingdom leaves the European Union one year before the referendum. This exercise reveals a decrease in exchange students studying in the UK of around 3.8% to 4.9%. While the number of non-EU students to the UK rises, a drop in EU student numbers drives this result. Similarly, 30% to 38% fewer UK students choose to study abroad. The estimated changes in international student stocks show that most other member countries lose international students and non-EU countries host more than without Brexit. Our findings provide evidence that there may be hidden costs to Brexit affecting global student exchanges that we have yet to see. 

• "International trade effects of student migration"

  • Abstract: Conventional immigration and trade literature finds that immigrants alleviate informal barriers to international trade. International students differ from other immigrants because of their short stay and high education level. Leveraging panel data on 34 host countries and 172 origin countries between 2000 and 2018, I employ a gravity-type trade model to re-examine this notion. I find that international students increase their host countries’ trade with their origin country. Further, while their ability to foster the most information-intensive trades is limited, relative to the average immigrant, international students have an advantage in promoting trust between institutionally distant countries.