From the introduction:
There are countless policy improvements that can enhance economic growth in the United States—policies that will create jobs in the private sector, enhance wages, and fundamentally improve the health and welfare of the people. In this year when an economic recession is a pressing concern for a new Congress and Administration, attention is focused on fiscal and monetary policies, but the environment for legal and institutional policy reform is ripe as well. Of all the policies that could be changed, probably none would have a greater positive impact on long-term economic growth than removing barriers to the immigration of highly skilled and highly educated individuals.
Nearly all reform proposals have natural advocates who are active in lobbying the Congress. In contrast, knowledge economy immigration reform does not have a natural advocacy group to petition the government. Past immigrants who are now citizens have no personal stake in such reform and foreign interests (including immigrants) are unable to press their case with U.S. government leaders for legal reform. Furthermore, the benefits of high-skill immigration are predominantly widespread positive externalities, so no single constituency benefits enough to advocate on behalf of immigrants. Making the situation more difficult, legal knowledge economy migration is easily confused with “illegal immigration” and the larger issue of immigration reform in the United States, which is dominated by concerns over low-skill migrants from Latin America.
This predicament is unfortunate, and in these times when the economy is contracting rather than growing, something that must change. While debate, even among the experts, continues about the net economic and social impact of low-skill immigrants, the case for expanded immigration of highly skilled immigrants, or those seeking higher skills, is overwhelming. In this essay we outline both the economics and politics supporting the expanded immigration of skilled foreign immigrants, as well as those seeking skills. In so doing, we offer some concrete, common sense recommendations for welcoming more immigrants who are waiting to contribute to the growth of our increasingly knowledge-based economy.
