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Impacts of Policy Reforms on Labor Migration From Rural Mexico to the United States

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  • Susan M. Richter
  • J. Edward Taylor
  • Antonio Naude

Abstract

Using new survey data from Mexico, a dynamic econometric model is estimated to test the effect of policy changes on the flow of migrant labor from rural Mexico to the United States and test for differential effects of policy changes on male and female migration. We find that both IRCA and NAFTA reduced the share of rural Mexicans working in the United States. Increased U.S. border enforcement had the opposite effect. The impacts of these policy variables are small compared with those of macroeconomic variables. The influence of policy and macroeconomic variables is small compared with that of migration networks, as reflected in past migration by villagers to the United States. The effects of all of these variables on migration propensities differ, quantitatively and in some cases qualitatively, by gender.

Suggested Citation

  • Susan M. Richter & J. Edward Taylor & Antonio Naude, 2005. "Impacts of Policy Reforms on Labor Migration From Rural Mexico to the United States," NBER Working Papers 11428, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:11428
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    Cited by:

    1. John Scott-Andretta & Alfredo Cuecuecha, 2010. "The Effect of Agricultural Subsidies on Migration and Agricultural Employment," Working Papers DTE 474, CIDE, División de Economía.
    2. Arslan, Aslıhan & Effenberger, Alexandra & Luecke, Matthias & Omar Mahmoud, Toman, 2009. "International labor migration and remittances beyond the crisis: Towards development-friendly migration policies," Open Access Publications from Kiel Institute for the World Economy 32851, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    3. Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes & Thitima Puttitanun & Ana Martinez-Donate, 2013. "How Do Tougher Immigration Measures Impact Unauthorized Immigrants?," RF Berlin - CReAM Discussion Paper Series 1302, Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RF Berlin) - Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM).
    4. Arslan, Aslıhan & Effenberger, Alexandra & Lücke, Matthias & Omar Mahmoud, Toman, 2009. "International labor migration and remittances: Towards development-friendly migration policies," Open Access Publications from Kiel Institute for the World Economy 32961, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    5. Catalina Amuedo‐Dorantes & Fernando Lozano, 2015. "On The Effectiveness Of Sb1070 In Arizona," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 53(1), pages 335-351, January.
    6. Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes & José R. Bucheli, 2023. "Implications of restrictive asylum policies: evidence from metering along the U.S.-Mexico Border," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(3), pages 1941-1962, July.
    7. Florian Kaufmann, 2008. "Attracting Undocumented Immigrants: The Perverse Effects of U.S. Border Enforcement," Working Papers wp187, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
    8. Amuedo-Dorantes, Catalina & Pozo, Susan, 2014. "On the Intended and Unintended Consequences of Enhanced Border and Interior Immigration Enforcement: Evidence from Deportees," IZA Discussion Papers 8458, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Araujo-Encisco, Sergio, 2011. "Analisis de transmision de precios entre los mercados de maiz mexicanos y el mercado estadounidense: metodos lineales y no lineales," Revista Espanola de Estudios Agrosociales y Pesqueros, Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Rural y Marino (formerly Ministry of Agriculture), issue 229, pages 1-40.
    10. Serdar Sayan & Ayça Tekin-Koru, 2010. "Host-Country Economic Policies and Worker Remittances to Developing Countries: The Cases of Turkey and Mexico," Chapters, in: Robert E.B. Lucas & Lyn Squire & T. N. Srinivasan (ed.), Global Exchange and Poverty, chapter 7, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    11. Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes & Susan Pozo, 2014. "On the Intended and Unintended Consequences of Enhanced U.S. Border and Interior Immigration Enforcement: Evidence From Mexican Deportees," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(6), pages 2255-2279, December.
    12. Miguel Arato & Stijn Speelman & Guido Van Huylenbroeck, 2014. "The contribution of non‐timber forest products towards sustainable rural development: The case of Candelilla wax from the Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 38(2), pages 141-153, May.
    13. Gagik Makaryan & Mihran Galstyan, 2013. "Costs and Benefits of Labour Mobility between the EU and the Eastern Partnership Partner Countries. Country report: Armenia," CASE Network Studies and Analyses 0461, CASE-Center for Social and Economic Research.
    14. Catalina Amuedo-Dorantes & Thitima Puttitanun & Ana Martinez-Donate, 2013. "How Do Tougher Immigration Measures Affect Unauthorized Immigrants?," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(3), pages 1067-1091, June.
    15. Anastasia Holobinko, 2012. "Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to Understanding Human Migration Patterns and their Utility in Forensic Human Identification Cases," Societies, MDPI, vol. 2(2), pages 1-21, June.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • F1 - International Economics - - Trade
    • J6 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers
    • J4 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

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