Digital Commons Network^™

Aligned Incentives: Envisioning Syzygy, Karl T. Muth

Karl T Muth

In the wake of the failure of AIG, this paper deals with the question of whether incentive alignment is truly the problem with contemporary insurance products (as many in the media and the economics community have alleged) by examining two hypothetical types of insurance where incentives are extraordinarily well-aligned.

Rationing Justice?: The Effect Of Caseload Pressures On The U.S. Courts Of Appeals In Immigration Cases, Anna O. Law

Anna O. Law

Beginning in late 2003, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Ninth Circuits experienced a deluge of immigration cases caused by changes in another part of the immigration bureaucracy. How did these two circuits, especially the Ninth circuit and its personnel, which handle more than 50% of all immigration appeals nationwide, respond to the "immigration surge" as it came to be called? Using interview data from 25% of the active judges on the court and some central staff, the article examines the series of internal experiments in case management that the Ninth Circuit was forced to undertake in …

Hidden Minorities And The Politics Of ‘Race’: The Case Of British Arab Activists In London, Caroline Nagel

Caroline R. Nagel

This paper uses a case study of activists in London's Arab communities to address the marginalisation of certain groups in academic analyses of 'race' and ethnicity. Theorisation of 'race' has become increasingly sophisticated, emphasising the fluidity of racial identities and the contextual specificity of racial ideologies and racialised practices. Yet very few empirical analyses of 'race' stray from the rigid categories of 'race' and ethnicity found in censuses and other official sources. The implication is that only certain groups 'count' as 'racial' and should be analysed in terms of 'race'. Using evidence gathered from intensive interviews with Arab community activists, …

Geopolitics By Another Name: Immigration And The Politics Of Assimilation, Caroline Nagel

Caroline R. Nagel

In this introduction to the special issue on the geopolitics of migration, I discuss some of the problematic elements of current approaches to migration studies. In particular, I comment on the concept of ‘transnationalism’ as it has been applied to immigrant communities, and argue that claims about immigrant transnationalism resemble contemporary and historical polemics on the non-assimilation of immigrants. I propose that our understanding of the dynamics of immigrant-host society relationships must begin with an understanding of the geopolitical contexts in which migration takes place. I illustrate my argument using the case of Arab Americans in the aftermath of September …

The Unintended Consequenses Of Low H-1b Visa Caps: Brain Blocking, Brain Diversion, And Racial Discrimination Against Asian Technology Professionals, Jeffrey L. Gower

Jeffrey L Gower

American business interests face increasing difficulties as they attempt to compete against global technology-based industries. As the U.S. educational system produces interests face increasing difficulties as they attempt to compete fewer technology workers, many firms look to foreign countries such as India, China, or other Asian countries that have an abundance of skilled professionals. The U.S. Congress created the H-1B visa program in 1990 for educated skilled foreign workers, and manipulated the yearly cap on several occasions. Limits were as high as 195,000 as recently as 2003, but were reduced to 65,000 by 2009. The result of placing a low …

Illegal Immigration And Immigration Reform: Protecting The Employment Rights Of The American Labor Force (The Native Born And Foreign Born) Who Are Eligible To Be Employed, Vernon Briggs, Jr.

Vernon M Briggs Jr

[Excerpt] Ever since the latter half of the 19th Century when the United States began to use its lega l system as a means to regulate both the size and the composition of the flow of foreign-born persons into its population and labor force, policymakers have had to confront the issue of what to do about those who defy the ensuing limitations, restrictions, and exclusions. As a consequence, the subject of illegal immigration has made frequent appearances on the nation’s political reform agenda. For while the United States claims to be a “a nation of immigrants,” it also boasts that …

The Effect Of Place Of Origin On The Relative Earnings Of Immigrant Women, Michael C. Seeborg, Mahi Garg

Michael Seeborg

This paper explores the earnings differentials between female immigrants from 14 places of origin when compared to each other and a number of other groups. The very large differences in average earnings between female immigrant groups are found to be largely due to human capital and family characteristic differences. The study employs OLS regression to make earnings comparisons between immigrant women from each of the 14 places of origin to three reference groups. We find that although female immigrants from most countries are doing well relative to female natives, they fall significantly behind native males and male immigrants, even after …

Immigrants In The Informal Sector: Evidence From Africa (Short Note), Mohammad Amin

Mohammad Amin

A survey of informal businesses in Burkina Faso, Cameroons and Cape Verde shows that roughly half of the businesses are owned by immigrants. Systematic differences between immigrant-owned and native-owned businesses might be expected given that immigrants are usually a vulnerable group and take time to assimilate with the native community. While the survey shows some important differences between native and immigrant owners of businesses, there is no clear evidence that relative to natives, immigrants are either discriminated against, are less efficient or come from a relatively less privileged background. However, immigrants are more likely to be males, unmarried and migrate …

The Unintended Consequences Of Low H-1b Visa Caps: Brain Blocking, Brain Diversion, And Racial Discrimination Against Asian Technology Professionals, Jeffrey L. Gower

Jeffrey L Gower

American business interests face increasing difficulties as they attempt to compete against global technology-based industries. As the U.S. educational system produces interests face increasing difficulties as they attempt to compete fewer technology workers, many firms look to foreign countries such as India, China, or other Asian countries that have an abundance of skilled professionals. The U.S. Congress created the H-1B visa program in 1990 for educated skilled foreign workers, and manipulated the yearly cap on several occasions. Limits were as high as 195,000 as recently as 2003, but were reduced to 65,000 by 2009. The result of placing a low …

The Deterioration Of Health Status Among Immigrants To Canada, Fernando De Maio, Eagan Kemp

Fernando De Maio

Immigration As Pathogenic: A Systematic Review Of The Health Of Immigrants To Canada, Fernando De Maio

Fernando De Maio

This review investigates the health of immigrants to Canada by critically examining differences in health status between immigrants and the native-born population and by tracing how the health of immigrants changes after settling in the country. Fifty-one published empirical studies met the inclusion criteria for this review. The analysis focuses on four inter-related questions: (1) Which health conditions show transition effects and which do not? (2) Do health transitions vary by ethnicity/racialized identity? (3) How are health transitions influenced by socioeconomic status? and (4) How do compositional and contextual factors interact to affect the health of immigrants? Theoretical and methodological …