High-Skilled Immigration in a Globalized Labor Market
High-Skilled Immigration in a Globalized Labor Market
Wednesday, April 22, 2009, 9:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Thursday, April 23, 2009, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Wohlstetter Conference Center, Twelfth Floor, AEI
1150 Seventeenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036
As the current economic crisis reshapes the global economy, the ability of each country to rebound will ride in part on the competitiveness and creativity of its workforce. Skills in science, technology, and innovation will be an essential determinant of economic growth in the coming decades. Despite this, current U.S. immigration laws are not built around the skills of potential applicants for immigration, but are instead built on family ties to U.S. citizens and resident aliens.
Does our current policy put the United States at a competitive disadvantage? What can we learn from the skill-based policies of other Western democracies? What effect does high-skilled immigration actually have on economic efficiency and labor market performance? Have our current high-skill immigrants put their skills to good use?
At this two-day conference, scholars from across the country and around the world will debate these questions, exploring the value of high-skilled immigration in a globalized labor market. The conference will include the presentation of nine original research papers, a keynote lecture by Laurence Iannaccone, and a panel discussion of U.S. policy toward high-skilled immigrants.
Wednesday, April 22
9:00 a.m.
Breakfast and Registration
9:30
Introduction
Henry Olsen, AEI
Barry R. Chiswick, University of Illinois at Chicago
Session I—Historical Perspective
9:45
Panel I: A Historical Perspective on High-Skilled Immigrants to the United States, 1820–1920
Presenter
Joseph Ferrie, Northwestern University
Discussant
Carmel U. Chiswick, University of Illinois at Chicago
Moderator
Ira Gang, Rutgers University
11:00
Panel II: The Political Economy of Immigration: The United States as an Emerging “Migration State”
Presenter
James Hollifield, Southern Methodist University
Discussant
Örn Bodvarsson, St. Cloud State University
Moderator
Ira Gang, Rutgers University
12:00 p.m.
Luncheon and Keynote Address: "Religion and High-Skilled Immigrants"
Speaker
Laurence Iannaccone, George Mason University
Session II—From Temporary to Permanent Status
1:30
Panel III: The Global Migration of International Students: Competitive Effects
Presenters
Pramod Khadka, Georgetown University
B. Lindsay Lowell, Georgetown University
Discussant
Cordelia Reimers, Hunter College, CUNY
Moderator
James Hollifield, Southern Methodist University
2:45
Panel IV: Characteristics and Transitions of High-Skilled Workers with Temporary Work Visas
Presenter
Mark C. Regets, National Science Foundation and Institute for the Study of Labor
Discussant
Ahn Tram Le, University of Western Australia
Moderator
James Hollifield, Southern Methodist University
Session III—The Adjustment of High-Skilled Immigrants
4:00
Panel V: Educational Mismatch: Are High-Skilled Immigrants Really Working at High-Skilled Jobs, and the Price They Pay If They Aren’t?
Presenters
Barry R. Chiswick, University of Illinois at Chicago
Paul W. Miller, University of Western Australia
Discussant
Charles Beach, Queen’s University
Moderator
James Ted McDonald, University of New Brunswick
5:00
Adjournment
Thursday, April 23
8:30 a.m.
Breakfast and Registration
9:00
Opening Remarks
Barry R. Chiswick, University of Illinois at Chicago
9:15
Panel VI: Earnings, Occupation, and Schooling Decisions of Immigrants with Medical Degrees: Evidence for Canada and the United States
Presenters
James Ted McDonald, University of New Brunswick
Casey Warman, Queen’s University
Christopher Worswick, Carleton University
Discussant
Linda Lesky, George Washington University
Moderator
Örn Bodvarsson, St. Cloud State University
Session IV—High-Skilled Immigrants: Impact and Policy
10:15
Panel VII: High-Skilled Migration and Publicly Financed Investments: Theory and Evidence
Presenters
Volker Grossman, University of Fribourg
David Stadelmann, University of Fribourg
Discussant
Ira Gang, Rutgers University
Moderator
Örn Bodvarsson, St. Cloud State University
11:30
Panel VIII: The Impact of High-Skilled Russian Immigrants on the Israeli Labor Market
Presenters
Sarit Cohen-Goldner, Bar-Ilan University
Yoram Weiss, Tel Aviv University
Discussant
Barry R. Chiswick, University of Illinois at Chicago
Moderator
Cordelia Reimers, Hunter College, CUNY
12:30 p.m.
Luncheon
1:00
Panel IX: High-Skilled Immigration Policy in Europe
Presenters
Martin Kahanec, Institute for the Study of Labor
Klaus Zimmermann, Institute for the Study of Labor, DIW Berlin, Bonn University, and Free University of Berlin
Discussant
Eskil Wadensjo Stockholm University
Moderator
Cordelia Reimers, Hunter College, CUNY
Session V—Policy Panel
2:15
Panel X: Policy Implications
Panelists
Stuart Anderson, National Foundation for American Policy
Steven A. Camarota, Center for Immigration Studies
Barry R. Chiswick, University of Illinois at Chicago
Demetrios Papademetriou, Migration Policy Institute
Moderator
David Frum, AEI
4:00
Adjournment
_____________________________________________________________________________________
AEI will soon launch its new website. Conference goers should take note of some new features that will improve their experience with the site:
• Event materials for registered events consolidated on users’ MyAEI.org home page
• Simplified registration process for registered users
• Listings of events registered for on all events pages
• Simple cancellation procedure
• A “smart calendar” for easy navigation of events and materials
Please note that all users who were registered with our old site will need to create new profiles; we hope that when you do, you will sign up for any of AEI’s electronic products now fully offered on the website and indicate your subject area interests in order to receive notice of upcoming events and products.
