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Title: From individual attitudes towards migrants to migration policy outcomes: Theory and evidence

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2008

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Abstract: We are experiencing a wave of globalization that includes everything but labour.In this paper, we argue that this is the result of restrictive migration policies implementedby destination countries. In democratic societies individual attitudes of votersrepresent the foundations of policy making. To understand policy outcomes, weanalyse the patterns and determinants of voters opinions on immigration. We findthat, across countries of different income levels, only a small minority of voters favourmore open policies. Furthermore, our analysis supports the role played by economicchannels in shaping public opinion. We next investigate how attitudes translateinto policy outcomes, considering two alternative frameworks: the median voter andthe interest groups model. On the one hand, the very low percentages of voters favouringimmigration are, in light of the existing restrictive policies, consistent with themedian voter framework. At the same time, given the extent of opposition toimmigration that appears in public opinion, it is somewhat surprising in a medianvoter framework that immigration takes place at all. We find that interest-groupsdynamics have the potential to explain this puzzle.

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Authors: Mayda, Anna M.; Facchini, Giovanni

Periodical (Full): Economic Policy

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Pages: 651-713

Data Collections: IPUMS CPS

Topics: Migration and Immigration

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