The Economics of Immigration

Economist David Card delivered the 2017 Clemens Lecture at 8 p.m. Monday Oct. 9, at the Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, Saint John’s University. His lecture was tiitled, The Economics of Immigration. Card earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen’s University in 1978 and his Ph.D. degree in Economics in 1983 from Princeton University. David Card has made fundamental contributions to research on immigration, education, job training, the minimum wage, and inequality. On immigration, Card\u27s research has shown that the economic impact of new immigrants is minimal. Card has done several case studies on the rapid assimilation of immigrant groups in the US and Canada, finding that they have little or no impact on wages. In an interview with the New York Times Card said, “I honestly think the economic arguments [against immigration] are second order. They are almost irrelevant.” This does not imply, however, that Card believes immigration should be increased, merely that immigrants do not pose a threat to the labor market. Card has co-authored several books, including “Wages, School Quality and Employment Demand” (2011, Oxford Press) and “Myth and Measurement: The New Economics of The Minimum Wage” (1995, Princeton University Press)