We Wanted Workers: Unraveling the Immigration Narrative

by George J. Borjas

Overview

From "America’s leading immigration economist" (The Wall Street Journal), a refreshingly level-headed exploration of the effects of immigration.

We are a nation of immigrants, and we have always been concerned about immigration. As early as 1645, the Massachusetts Bay Colony began to prohibit the entry of "paupers." Today, however, the notion that immigration is universally beneficial has become pervasive. To many modern economists, immigrants are a trove of much-needed workers who can fill predetermined slots along the proverbial assembly line.

But this view of immigration’s impact is overly simplified, explains George J. Borjas, a Cuban-American, Harvard labor economist. Immigrants are more than just workers—they’re people who have lives outside of the factory gates and who may or may not fit the ideal of the country to which they’ve come to live and work. Like the rest of us, they’re protected by social insurance programs, and the choices they make are affected by their social environments.

In We Wanted Workers, Borjas pulls back the curtain of political bluster to show that, in the grand scheme, immigration has not affected the average American all that much. But it has created winners and losers. The losers tend to be nonmigrant workers who compete for the same jobs as immigrants. And somebody’s lower wage is somebody else’s higher profit, so those who employ immigrants benefit handsomely. In the end, immigration is mainly just another government redistribution program.

"I am an immigrant," writes Borjas, "and yet I do not buy into the notion that immigration is universally beneficial…But I still feel that it is a good thing to give some of the poor and huddled masses, people who face so many hardships, a chance to experience the incredible opportunities that our exceptional country has to offer." Whether you’re a Democrat, a Republican, or an Independent, We Wanted Workers is essential reading for anyone interested in the issue of immigration in America today.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393249019
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	10/11/2016
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	9.20(w) x 6.30(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

George J. Borjas is the Robert W. Scrivner Professor of Economics and Social Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. He is the recipient of the 2011 IZA Prize in Labor Economics.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Introduction 13

Chapter 2 Lennon's Utopia 32

Chapter 3 How We Got Here 50

Chapter 4 The Self-Selection of Immigrants 66

Chapter 5 Economic Assimilation 88

Chapter 6 The Melting Pot 110

Chapter 7 The Labor Market Impact 126

Chapter 8 The Economic Benefits 153

Chapter 9 The Fiscal Impact 171

Chapter 10 Who Are You Rooting For? 192

Acknowledgments 211

Notes 215

Index 225

Editorial Reviews

06/20/2016
When an economist wades into a contentious public policy issue, people may gain a better understanding of the nuances, but their underlying convictions are unlikely to change. Borjas, a Harvard professor who has studied the economics of immigration for decades, gamely attempt to explain the complex mix of benefits and drawbacks of the current and preceding waves of immigration to the United States, but his most dramatic conclusions are tempered by equivocal comments such as “We should not be shocked that different methods can easily generate radically different estimates of the gains” of large-scale immigration. His faith in statistics and rigorous methodology is a constant theme, and he finds “ideologically motivated assumptions and platitudes thoroughly unconvincing.” Instead, he undertakes the analysis of a number of studies. That, of course, is a worthy approach for elevating a debate, but hearing that “it took nearly a century for the melting pot to do its job” makes it harder to evaluate the success of the American experiment in creating an immigrant nation. While Borjas will go as far as to say that immigration will create winners and losers, the book informs without offering particularly satisfying conclusions. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"We Wanted Workers is essential to understanding America’s future. Drawing on decades of research, Borjas cuts through the myths and obfuscations plaguing our immigration debate. This is the most lucid, powerful work of social science I’ve ever read."

Reihan Salam

"Lucid and illuminating."

Binyamin Appelbaum

"A readable and detailed historical tour of America’s immigration debates and policies…[Borjas] generously provides readers with arguments on all sides."

Wall Street Journal

"An invaluable addition to the literature on U.S. immigration policy. A model of lucid exposition, it delves deeply into the subtle complexities of a subject that has been rife with sloppy and wishful thinking. Borjas reviews a mountain of evidence in support of a forceful argument for the position that, while there are benefits, one needs also to be mindful of the considerable costs associated with the liberalization of immigration policies."

Glenn C. Loury

"However much you think you know about immigration, you'll learn something from this book."

The National Review - Mark Krikorian

"A captivating, insightful and easily accessible book that makes great reading for everyone interested in the subject."

Christian Dustmann

"Borjas, the world’s leading economic expert on immigration, has penned a nontechnical, nearly conversational book pointing out all the issues in immigration’s effects on an economy—particularly the American economy. The central message is ‘it depends’—impacts are positive or negative for different natives, different kinds of immigrants, and at different times. With immigration again a central political issue, this book is must-reading for every voter."

Daniel Hamermesh

05/15/2016
Casteel's Underwater Dogs was the best-selling photography book of 2012, spending 11 weeks on the New York Times best sellers list, with over 200,000 copies shipped; the follow-up, Underwater Puppies, was also a New York Times best seller. Now Casteel gives us flying kitties.

Library Journal

2016-06-21
A counternarrative to the many misguided ideas about immigrants arriving in the United States.The conventional wisdom that troubles award-winning economist Borjas (Economics and Social Policy/Harvard Kennedy School; Immigration Economics, 2014, etc.) states that immigrants should be seen solely as workers who fill jobs for which Americans are unqualified or uninterested in performing. As an immigrant from Fidel Castro-controlled Cuba who moved to the U.S. when he was 12, the author emphasizes the seemingly obvious notion that immigrants are more than just laborers: they are unique humans whose needs create an impact on schools, welfare resources, the environment, and electoral politics, among other areas of society. Furthermore, writes Borjas, immigration always produces winners and losers: a low-wage job accepted by an immigrant might enrich an employer or investor but might harm a fellow laborer previously earning more. The author believes a great deal of the research about the economics of immigration is mistaken due to flawed data collection, flawed data analysis, and political biases. Thankfully, Borjas takes a mostly measured approach to his field, which has become "perhaps the most divisive issue of our time." He never castigates open immigration policies, advocating instead for politicians and bureaucrats throughout all levels of government to recognize costs as well as benefits. The author also refuses to accept the idea that many immigrants fare poorly in the U.S. because of racial or ethnic prejudices by employers. Instead, he says, some immigrants earn the lowest wages because they lack highly marketable skills. The lower-skilled immigrants do not simply fill jobs that American citizens shun, but often do the somewhat-desirable jobs at a prevailing wage below what citizens will accept. Although the economic analyses may be obscure to some noneconomist readers, Borjas provides an intriguing, clearly written polemic.

Kirkus Reviews