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Comparing Immigration Policies: An Overview from the IMPALA Database

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  • Michel Beine
  • Anna Boucher
  • Brian Burgoon
  • Mary Crock
  • Justin Gest
  • Michael Hiscox
  • Patrick McGovern
  • Hillel Rapoport
  • Joep Schaper
  • Eiko Thielemann

Abstract

This paper introduces a method and preliminary findings from a database that systematically measures the character and stringency of immigration policies. Based on the selection of that data for nine countries between 1999 and 2008, we challenge the idea that any one country is systematically the most or least restrictive toward admissions. The data also reveal trends toward more complex and, often, more restrictive regulation since the 1990s, as well as differential treatment of groups, such as lower requirements for highly skilled than low-skilled labor migrants. These patterns illustrate the IMPALA data and methods but are also of intrinsic importance to understanding immigration regulation.
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  • Michel Beine & Anna Boucher & Brian Burgoon & Mary Crock & Justin Gest & Michael Hiscox & Patrick McGovern & Hillel Rapoport & Joep Schaper & Eiko Thielemann, 2016. "Comparing Immigration Policies: An Overview from the IMPALA Database," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(4), pages 827-863, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:intmig:v:50:y:2016:i:4:p:827-863
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    Cited by:

    1. Dreher, Axel & Gassebner, Martin & Schaudt, Paul, 2017. "The Effect of Migration on Terror – Made at Home or Imported from Abroad?," CEPR Discussion Papers 12062, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    2. Lumpe, Claudia, 2017. "Public beliefs in social mobility and high-skilled migration," Ruhr Economic Papers 691, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    3. Guzi, Martin & Kahanec, Martin & Mýtna Kureková, Lucia, 2022. "The Impact of Immigration and Integration Policies On Immigrant-Native Labor Market Hierarchies," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1198, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    4. Anna Boucher & Robert Breunig & Cecilia Karmel, 2022. "A Preliminary Literature Review on the Effect of Immigration On Australian Domestic Employment and Wages," Australian Economic Review, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, vol. 55(2), pages 263-272, June.
    5. Axel Dreher & Martin Gassebner & Paul Schaudt, 2020. "The effect of migration on terror: Made at home or imported from abroad?," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 53(4), pages 1703-1744, November.
    6. Michel Beine & Simone Bertoli & Jesús Fernández-Huertas Moraga, 2016. "A Practitioners’ Guide to Gravity Models of International Migration," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(4), pages 496-512, April.
    7. Sari Pekkala Kerr & William Kerr & Çağlar Özden & Christopher Parsons, 2017. "High-Skilled Migration and Agglomeration," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 9(1), pages 201-234, September.
    8. Baran Siyahhan & Hamed Ghoddusi, 2022. "Optimal investment in human capital under migration uncertainty," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 422-449, May.
    9. Michel Beine & Brian B. Burgoon & Mary Crock & Justin Gest & Michael Hiscox & Patrick McGovern & Hillel Rapoport & Eiko Thielemann, 2015. "Measuring Immigration Policies: Preliminary Evidence from IMPALA," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 61(3-4), pages 527-559.
    10. Marc Helbling, 2018. "A Comparison of Immigration Policies," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 16(01), pages 14-17, May.
    11. Claudia Lumpe, 2019. "Public beliefs in social mobility and high-skilled migration," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 32(3), pages 981-1008, July.
    12. Giacomo Solano & Thomas Huddleston, 2021. "Beyond immigration: Moving from Western to Global Indexes of Migration Policy," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 12(3), pages 327-337, May.
    13. Schmid, Samuel D. & Helbling, Marc, 2016. "Validating the Immigration Policies in Comparison (IMPIC) dataset," Discussion Papers, various Research Units SP VI 2016-202, WZB Berlin Social Science Center.
    14. Leonardo Salvatore Alaimo & Francesco Amato & Filomena Maggino & Alfonso Piscitelli & Emiliano Seri, 2023. "A Comparison of Migrant Integration Policies via Mixture of Matrix-Normals," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 165(2), pages 473-494, January.
    15. repec:ces:ifodic:v:16:y:2018:i:1:p:50000000001953 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Koopmans, Ruud & Michalowski, Ines, 2017. "Why Do States Extend Rights to Immigrants? Institutional Settings and Historical Legacies Across 44 Countries Worldwide," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 50(1), pages 41-74.
    17. Böhme, Marcus H. & Gröger, André & Stöhr, Tobias, 2020. "Searching for a better life: Predicting international migration with online search keywords," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    18. Mathias Czaika & Christopher R. Parsons, 2017. "The Gravity of High-Skilled Migration Policies," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(2), pages 603-630, April.
    19. Hugo Rojas-Romagosa & Johannes Bollen, 2018. "Estimating migration changes from the EU’s free movement of people principle," CPB Discussion Paper 385, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    20. Francesco Pasetti & Carmine Conte, 2021. "Refugees and Beneficiaries of Subsidiary Protection: Measuring and Comparing Integration Policies," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 12(3), pages 350-360, May.
    21. Björn NILSSON, 2019. "Education and migration: insights for policymakers," Working Paper 23ca9c54-061a-4d60-967c-f, Agence française de développement.
    22. Simon Winter, 2020. "“It’s the Economy, Stupid!”: On the Relative Impact of Political and Economic Determinants on Migration," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 39(2), pages 207-252, April.
    23. repec:zbw:bofrdp:2017_007 is not listed on IDEAS
    24. Leefmans,Naomi & Oomes,Nienke & Rojas Romagosa,Hugo Alexander & Vervliet,Tobias & Berthiaume,Nicolas, 2021. "A Reappraisal of the Migration-Development Nexus : Testing the Robustness of the Migration Transition Hypothesis," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9518, The World Bank.
    25. Sari Pekkala Kerr & William Kerr & Çağlar Özden & Christopher Parsons, 2017. "High-Skilled Migration and Agglomeration," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 9(1), pages 201-234, September.

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