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Subsidies for Wages and Infrastructure: How to Restrain Undesired Immigration

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  • Robert Fenge
  • Volker Meier

Abstract

This paper investigates regional or international transfers as a means to prevent immigration into unemployment. We analyze a two-country model with free migration in which the rich country is characterized by minimum wage unemployment. Matching grants for investment in infrastructure are superior to wage subsidies because the former instrument leads to a stronger productivity growth in the poor country, reducing both migration flows and unemployment in the rich country. This result is shown to hold for a sufficiently low level of the regional policy budget. It explains the exclusive use of investment subsidies in the EU.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert Fenge & Volker Meier, 2006. "Subsidies for Wages and Infrastructure: How to Restrain Undesired Immigration," CESifo Working Paper Series 1741, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_1741
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Philippe Martin, 1998. "Can Regional Policies Affect Growth and Geography in Europe?," Post-Print hal-03416388, HAL.
    2. Figuieres, Charles & Hindriks, Jean, 2002. "Matching grants and Ricardian equivalence," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 177-191, July.
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    6. Fuest, Clemens & Huber, Bernd, 2006. "Can regional policy in a federation improve economic efficiency?," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(3), pages 499-511, February.
    7. Philippe Martin, 1998. "Can Regional Policies Affect Growth and Geography in Europe?," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(6), pages 757-774, August.
    8. Robert Fenge & Matthias Wrede, 2004. "EU Regional Policy: Vertical Fiscal Externalities and Matching Grants," CESifo Working Paper Series 1146, CESifo.
    9. Bernard G. Funck & Lodovico Pizzati, 2003. "European Integration, Regional Policy, and Growth," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 15144.
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    11. Panos Hatzipanayotou & Michael S. Michael, 2005. "Migration, Tied Foreign Aid and the Welfare State," CESifo Working Paper Series 1497, CESifo.
    12. Boldrin, Michele & Canova, Fabio, 2003. "Regional Policies and EU Enlargement," CEPR Discussion Papers 3744, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Mayr, Karin & Minter, Steffen & Krieger, Tim, 2012. "Policies on illegal immigration in a federation," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(1-2), pages 153-165.
    2. Heijdra, Ben J. & Ligthart, Jenny E., 2007. "Fiscal policy, monopolistic competition, and finite lives," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 325-359, January.
    3. Mayr, Karin & Minter, Steffen & Krieger, Tim, 2012. "Policies on illegal immigration in a federation," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(1-2), pages 153-165.
    4. Tim Krieger & Steffen Minter, 2007. "Immigration amnesties in the southern EU member states - a challenge for the entire EU?," Working Papers CIE 6, Paderborn University, CIE Center for International Economics.

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    Keywords

    regional policy; public infrastructure; wage subsidies; unemployment; migration;
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