Why U.S. Immigration Matters for the Global Advancement of Science

By Ruchir Agarwal, Ina Ganguli, Patrick Gaulé, Geoff Smith

February 19, 2021

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Ruchir Agarwal, Ina Ganguli, Patrick Gaulé, and Geoff Smith. Why U.S. Immigration Matters for the Global Advancement of Science, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2021) accessed December 22, 2024

Disclaimer: IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.

Summary

This paper studies the impact of U.S. immigration barriers on global knowledge production. We present four key findings. First, among Nobel Prize winners and Fields Medalists, migrants to the U.S. play a central role in the global knowledge network—representing 20-33% of the frontier knowledge producers. Second, using novel survey data and hand-curated life-histories of International Math Olympiad (IMO) medalists, we show that migrants to the U.S. are up to six times more productive than migrants to other countries—even after accounting for talent during one’s teenage years. Third, financing costs are a key factor preventing foreign talent from migrating abroad to pursue their dream careers, particularly for talent from developing countries. Fourth, certain ‘push’ incentives that reduce immigration barriers—by addressing financing constraints for top foreign talent—could increase the global scientific output of future cohorts by 42 percent. We concludeby discussing policy options for the U.S. and the global scientific community.

Subject: Climate policy, Education, Income, Migration, National accounts, Population and demographics, Production, Productivity

Keywords: Global, Immigration, IMO medalist, IMO participant, IMO point, Income, Migrants to the U.S., Migration, Productivity, Productivity regression, Science, Talent, Universities, WP

Publication Details

Pages:

40
Volume:

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DOI:

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Issue:

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Series:

Working Paper No. 2021/042
Stock No:

WPIEA2021042
ISBN:

9781513570006
ISSN:

1018-5941

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