Global Economy

Overhauling the Temporary Work Visa System

Papers • February 2013 • Pia Orrenius, Giovanni Peri, Madeline Zavodny

In this paper the authors present a strategy to change the U.S. employment-based immigration system to make the system more efficient, increase the economic benefits of immigration and  raise revenues by using market-based auctions to allocate visas.

The Economics of Immigration Reform

Papers • January 2013 • Michael Greenstone, Adam Looney

Immigration reform has taken center stage of the policy debate.  While most Americans agree that our immigration system is flawed, there remains a lack of understanding about immigration’s effects on wages, jobs, budgets, and the U.S. economy in general.  Two recent Hamilton Project papers provide important economic context for the issue and a potential path forward.

A Strategy for U.S. Natural Gas Exports

Papers • June 2012 • Michael Levi

Michael Levi of the Council on Foreign Relations poses a framework for regulators to determine if exporting natural gas is in the public interest, arguing the upsides of exports outweigh the costs as long as the government acts to mitigate risk.

The U.S. Immigration System: Potential Benefits of Reform

Papers • May 2012 • Adam Looney, Michael Greenstone

The Hamilton Project provides background information on the state of America’s immigration system, and discusses the economic benefits of reforming the system.

Rationalizing U.S. Immigration Policy: Reforms for Simplicity, Fairness, and Economic Growth

Papers • May 2012 • Giovanni Peri

Giovanni Peri of UC Davis proposes a practical set of immigration reforms, starting with market-based changes to employment-based visas to better link visas with the labor market and ending with broad simplification in many areas of policy. 

What Immigration Means For U.S. Employment and Wages

Papers • May 2012 • Adam Looney, Michael Greenstone

Our nation’s immigration policy continues to be an issue of debate among policymakers, particularly the impact on the U.S. labor force. The Hamilton Project highlights the economic evidence on what immigration means for U.S. jobs and the economy.

Raising Job Quality and Skills for American Workers: Creating More-Effective Education and Workforce Development Systems in the States

Papers • November 2011 • Harry J. Holzer

Less educated workers often experience prolonged periods of unemployment and stagnating wages because they lack the skills necessary to compete in a global economy. In a new Hamilton Project paper, Harry J. Holzer proposes a set of competitive grants to fund education, training, and career counseling initiatives that feature private sector connections based on the experience of existing successful workforce development programs.

Building America’s Job Skills with Effective Workforce Programs: A Training Strategy to Raise Wages and Increase Work Opportunities

Papers • November 2011 • Michael Greenstone, Adam Looney

Amid the Great Recession and rapid technological changes, both workers with less education and workers who have been displaced from long-tenured jobs face challenges because they lack the particular skills that employers demand for good-paying jobs. In a new Hamilton Project strategy paper, Michael Greenstone and Adam Looney address the importance of developing workers’ skills through training and workforce development programs, and examine newly available evidence on policies that boost job opportunities and wages.

Policies to Reduce High-Tenured Displaced Workers’ Earnings Losses Through Retraining

Papers • November 2011 • Louis S. Jacobson, Daniel G. Sullivan, Robert J. LaLonde

After being displaced from long-tenured jobs, workers often experience persistent, significant earnings losses. New research suggests that retraining in certain “high-return” fields can substantially reduce these losses. In a new Hamilton Project paper, Louis S. Jacobson, Robert J. LaLonde and Daniel G. Sullivan propose the establishment of a Displaced Worker Training (DWT) Program to distribute grants to displaced workers so they can obtain longer-term training to substantially increase their earnings. The DWT Program would also leverage the nation’s One-Stop Career Centers to assess and counsel grantees.

High-Skill Immigration to the United States

September 28, 2010 • Charts

America is issuing a declining number of visas for high-skill workers.

Immigration to the United States

September 28, 2010 • Charts

The United States experienced two waves of immigration over the last century.  The first peaked in 1910, while the second stemmed from immigration reform in 1965 and continues today.

Net Taxpayer Cost or Benefit for U.S. Born and Immigrants by Age

September 28, 2010 • Charts

Immigrants and the U.S.-born have similar fiscal footprints, paying more in taxes than they consume in services over their lifetime.

Impact of Immigration on Wages of U.S. Born Workers

September 28, 2010 • Charts

Immigration may have a modest positive effect on the average wage of U.S.-born workers.

Education of U.S.-Born and Foreign-Born in the American Workforce

September 28, 2010 • Charts

Educational attainment of foreign-born workers in the American workforce varies widely.

Employment Growth by Skill Level, 1979-2007

April 30, 2010 • Charts

Over the past 30 years, employment has increased in low-skill and high-skill occupations while at the same time stagnating or decreasing in middle-skill occupations. 

FEATURED

Real Specifics:  15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget—Part II:  Addressing Entitlements, Taxation, and Revenues

February 26, 2013 • Washington, DC

On February 26th, The Hamilton Project hosted a forum featuring a diverse group of experts from around the country who discussed 13 targeted policy proposals that were released that day on reforming entitlement spending, tax reform, and how to create new sources of revenue and efficiency. The proposals provide specific strategies on how lawmakers can address many different areas of the budget, and address options to reduce both mandatory and discretionary spending.

U.S. Immigration Policy:  The Border Between Reform and the Economy

May 15, 2012 • Washington, DC 20045

America’s immigration policy no longer serves the needs of our fast-changing global economy.   Failure to address immigration reform at the national level has resulted in missed opportunities to spur America’s economic growth and productivity.  On May 15, The Hamilton Project held a forum exploring the challenges and opportunities for immigration reform in today’s political and economic climate. 

Crossing Borders: From Myth to Sound Immigration Policy

September 28, 2010 • Washington, DC

The Hamilton Project hosted a forum focused on the economics of immigration. A panel of economic experts helped distinguish economic reality from myth in the current debate, with particular regard to the impact of immigration on the wages of middle-class and lower-income workers; the living standards of Americans; and the demand for, and availability of, visas for highly skilled workers.

Economic Growth Strategies for Developing Countries in an Era of Global Uncertainty

April 14, 2008 • Washington, DC

Together with the Commission on Growth & Development, The Hamilton Project hosted a policy roundtable on the role of economic growth in reducing poverty in developing nations. A panel of experts discussed policies to help developing nations move forward in this era of global uncertainty.

Reforming Taxation in the Global Age

June 12, 2007 • Washington, DC

A two-part forum and release of a new set of policy proposals that address the challenges of reforming the U.S. tax system.

Economic Security in a Changing World

September 15, 2006 • Washington, DC

The Project co-sponsored an event with The New Republic featuring four panel discussions focused on income instability among American families, economic security and growth, and new proposals for progress.

Meeting the Challenge of the Global Economy: Trade, Economic Security, and Effective Government

July 25, 2006 • Washington, DC

The Hamilton Project convened a forum surrounding the release of a new set of policy papers examining trade and government reform policy with a discussion of the challenges presented by a global economy.

Real Specifics: 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget—Part II: Addressing Entitlements, Taxation and Revenues—Panel 3: New Sources of Revenue and Efficiency

February 27, 2013 • Audio

Senior Research Associate at The Urban Institute Benjamin H. Harris; Fellow and Policy Director of Economic Studies at The Brookings Institution Adele Morris; Assistant Vice President and Senior Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Pia Orrenius; Professor of International Economics at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy Phillip Swagel; and Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company Tyler Duvall participate in a roundtable discussion on new sources of revenue and efficiency moderated by Senior Fellow and Director of The Hamilton Project at The Brookings Institution Michael Greenstone.

U.S. Immigration Policy - Featured Remarks: The Economic Imperative for Immigration Reform

May 15, 2012 • Video

Cecilia Muñoz, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, gives featured remarks on the Obama Administration’s efforts to reform America’s broken immigration system and why that is an economic imperative.

U.S. Immigration Policy - The Challenges and Opportunities for Immigration Reform in the United States

May 15, 2012 • Video

Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Edward Alden moderates a discussion between former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Silver Lake Co-Founder Glenn Hutchins, National Council of La Raza President and CEO Janet Murguía, and UNITE HERE President John Wilhelm on many of the broader issues surrounding today’s immigration reform debate.

U.S. Immigration Policy - Roundtable: A Market-Based Approach to Immigration Reform

May 15, 2012 • Video

U.S. Immigration Policy - Welcome and Introductions

May 15, 2012 • Video

Former Treasury Secretary and Hamilton Project Advisory Council member Robert E. Rubin welcomes the crowd at The Hamilton Project event "U.S. Immigration Policy: The Border Between Reform and the Economy."

U.S. Immigration Policy - Featured Remarks: The Economic Imperative for Immigration Reform

May 15, 2012 • Audio

Cecilia Muñoz, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, gives featured remarks on the Obama Administration’s efforts to reform America’s broken immigration system and why that is an economic imperative.

U.S. Immigration Policy - The Challenges and Opportunities for Immigration Reform in the United States

May 15, 2012 • Audio

Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Edward Alden moderates a discussion between former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Silver Lake Co-Founder Glenn Hutchins, National Council of La Raza President and CEO Janet Murguía, and UNITE HERE President John Wilhelm on many of the broader issues surrounding today’s immigration reform debate.  

U.S. Immigration Policy - Roundtable: A Market-Based Approach to Immigration Reform

May 15, 2012 • Audio

UC Davis Economist Giovanni Peri presented a new proposal for a market-based approach to immigration reform, followed by a discussion of the proposal with National Public Radio Ombudsman Edward Schumacher-Matos, 3M Senior Vice President Legal Affairs and General Counsel Marschall Smith and Ocean Mist Farms Director of Human Resources Jorge Suarez, moderated by Hamilton Project Director Michael Greenstone.

U.S. Immigration Policy - Welcome and Introductions

May 15, 2012 • Audio

Former Treasury Secretary and Hamilton Project Advisory Council member Robert E. Rubin welcomes the crowd at The Hamilton Project event "U.S. Immigration Policy: The Border Between Reform and the Economy."