About Alex Nowrasteh
Alex Nowrasteh is the director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute. His popular publications have appeared in most major newspapers in the United States. His peer-reviewed academic publications have appeared in a half-dozen academic journals.
Alex Nowrasteh regularly appears on Fox News, MSNBC, Bloomberg, NPR, and numerous television and radio stations across the United States. He is a native of Southern California and received a BA in economics from George Mason University and a Master of Science in economic history from the London School of Economics.
Wretched Refuse?: The Political Economy of Immigration and Institutions
Economic arguments against immigration suggest that immigrants undermine the culture, institutions, and productivity of destination countries. But is that true? Nowrasteh and Powell systematically analyze cross-country evidence and case studies of the potential negative effects of immigration on economic freedom, corruption, culture, and terrorism. They find that immigrants do not destroy the institutions responsible for prosperity and, in some cases, even improve them.
‘This book tackles the most important academic question confronting recommendations for ‘free labor’ – whether too much of a good thing at the margin becomes a bad thing. The book consolidates all of the existing research and then adds even more. It will be a standard work on this question for some time.’ Lant Pritchett, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford
‘Read this penetrating analysis of immigration and see why there is still a case for the wealth creating powers of the free movement of people as well as goods in international trade. If people don’t cross borders, we will be less prosperous.’ Vernon Smith, Chapman University and 2002 Nobel Laureate in Economics
‘Many thinkers fear the effect of immigration on our policies, our democracy, and our liberty, but barely anyone tries to actually measure these effects. Wretched Refuse? does just this with skill, care, and calm – and ends up being the best book ever written on this subject. Combining a thorough review of past research with much original social science, Nowrasteh and Powell conclude that the immigration pessimists are paranoid. The political effects of immigration have been benign for centuries, and remain so today.’ Bryan Caplan, George Mason University and co-author of the New York Times best-selling Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration
‘In Wretched Refuse?, Alex Nowrasteh and Ben Powell consider – and ultimately reject – the claim that immigrants import ill-suited institutions from their home countries, thereby undermining economic growth. In this clear-eyed treatment, the authors bring a wealth of evidence to bear, both modern and historical, that, if anything, immigrants are transformed by their adoptive societies and support rising productivity. This lucid volume should be of interest to economists and policymakers interesting in designing smart immigration policy.’ Leah Boustan, Princeton University
‘Wretched Refuse? takes head-on the claim that the direct economic benefits of immigration are offset by indirect costs such as corruption, terrorism, or the erosion of cultural norms. With careful empirical analysis, looking both across countries and at case studies, Nowrasteh and Powell show convincingly that there is little or no evidence to substantiate such fears. This is a timely and important contribution to the broader economic case for liberalizing immigration policy.’
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