title: Immigration policy and the U.S. economy: an institutional perspective.
abstract: The author examines some aspects of the current situation concerning immigration to the United States. He predicts that the 1990s will witness the largest flow of immigrants into the population and labor force of any decade in the country's history; furthermore, since there is no universally accepted right to immigrate, the adoption of migration policy is one area of economic policymaking that is not controlled by market forces. He also notes that while the country's need is for a highly skilled, motivated, and educated labor force, the majority of current immigrants have low skill levels and relatively little education. The need to develop and implement a migration policy that is in tune with the country's economic objectives is stressed. He concludes that "the resurrection of mass immigration from out of the nation's distant past was a political accident; its perpetuation in the 1990s is contrary to national interest. Immigration reform, therefore, needs to be [in] the forefront of the nation's economic policy agenda."
authors.forename: V M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Briggs
mesh_terms: D000569:Americas; D003710:Demography; D019049:Developed Countries; D004467:Economics; D004522:Educational Status; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D004651:Employment; D006280:Health Workforce; D009656:North America; D011153:Population; D011157:Population Dynamics; D011640:Public Policy; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014171:Transients and Migrants; D014481:United States
keywords: Americas; Demographic Factors; Developed Countries; Economic Development; Economic Factors; Educational Status; Human Resources; Immigrants; International Migration; Labor Force; Migrants; Migration; Migration Policy; North America; Northern America; Policy; Population; Population Dynamics; Population Policy; Social Policy; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomic Status; United States