HomeUploadUpload DirectHotlinkRandomAbouttheme toggle
Expand

How Immigrants Make America Great Again (and Again and Again)

Views:986
@ReasonVids

A new book documents that newcomers revitalize beliefs in hard work, property rights, and the rule of law.
------------------
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/ReasonTV?sub...
Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Reason.Magaz...
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/reason

Reason is the planet's leading source of news, politics, and culture from a libertarian perspective. Go to reason.com for a point of view you won't get from legacy media and old left-right opinion magazines.
----------------
Do immigrants bring with them the worst attributes of the countries they left behind?

The fear that they do motivates populists, nationalists, and even some free market economists, such as Harvard University's George Borjas, the University of Oxford's Paul Collier, and George Mason University's Garett Jones, who speculate that mass immigration from countries with illiberal traditions will undermine Western culture.

In their new book, Wretched Refuse?: The Political Economy of Immigration and Institutions, the Cato Institute's Alex Nowrasteh and Texas Tech University's Benjamin Powell take an exhaustive look at the data and find that destination countries not only benefit economically from immigration but that key markers of liberal democracy—such as support for the rule of law and limited government, belief in private property rights, and trust in government—improve when newcomers arrive en masse.

In the 1990s, for instance, Israel took in enough immigrants from the former Soviet Union to increase its population by 20 percent. Yet despite the influx of people from a nation that was explicitly anti-capitalist, the country moved from around 90th in global economic freedom to around 45th. Closer to home, the authors note that the United States implemented its biggest expansions in entitlements (Social Security, Medicare) when immigrant flows were at historic lows.

Nowrasteh and Powell point to record levels of favorable views of immigrants as a reason to be optimistic about immigration policy in the coming years. "Public opinion eventually affects policy," Nowrasteh tells Nick Gillespie. "We can point back to our Italian, Irish Welsh, Persian ancestors who came here and faced the same criticism that immigrants are facing today, whether it's about institutions like our book is about, or whether it's about economics, or anything else. And these fears in the past turned out to be unfounded. And we can make that argument again and again in the United States."

Narrated by Nick Gillespie. Edited by John Osterhoudt. Thumbnail by Lex Villena.

Photos: David T. Foster III/TNS/Newscom; imageBROKER/Martin Siepmann/Newscom; Robert Gallagher/ZUMA Press/Newscom; Ken Lund/Flickr/Creative Commons; Gage Skidmore/Flickr/Creative Commons; Gage Skidmore/Flickr/Creative Commons; Karen Focht/ZUMA Press/Newscom; D.J. Peters/MCT/Newscom; David R. Frazier/DanitaDelimont.com Danita Delimont Photography/Newscom; Spencer Grant/ZUMA Press/Newscom; ID 144144905 © Oksanaphoto | Dreamstime.com; Ted Soqui/Sipa USA/Newscom; Travis Wise/Flickr/Creative Commons; White House/ZUMA Press/Newscom; Erik McGregor/Sipa USA/Newscom; Circa Images/Newscom; JT Vintage/ZUMA Press/Newscom; Syd Kaplan/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; Pedro Portal/TNS/Newscom; Justin Lane/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; Oliver Contreras/CNP/AdMedia/Newscom; Bobby Hidy/Flickr/Creatives Commons

libertarian
,
reason magazine
,
reason.com
,
reason.tv
,
reasontv
    Thumbnail for White House Christmas Ornaments1:44
    White House Christmas Ornaments
    ReasonVids
    863 views
    Thumbnail for 【LOLランク】神に選ばれしチャンピオン、カルマ【イブラヒム/にじさんじ】 | イブラヒム【にじさんじ】4:50:11
    【LOLランク】神に選ばれしチャンピオン、カルマ【イブラヒム/にじさんじ】 | イブラヒム【にじさんじ】
    invidious
    285 views
    Thumbnail for Radley Balko Talks HuffPo, Nashville, OWS, & Cory Maye3:52
    Radley Balko Talks HuffPo, Nashville, OWS, & Cory Maye
    ReasonVids
    817 views
    Thumbnail for How a 14-Year Old Helped Bring Down Teacher Tenure in California6:25
    How a 14-Year Old Helped Bring Down Teacher Tenure in California
    ReasonVids
    1024 views
    Thumbnail for U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis Is All In on Bitcoin19:51
    U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis Is All In on Bitcoin
    ReasonVids
    928 views
    Thumbnail for Will Whole Foods Destroy Brooklyn?2:21
    Will Whole Foods Destroy Brooklyn?
    ReasonVids
    932 views
    Thumbnail for 市寬見頂 沽貨有3個條件 ? 阿爺資金托住 似有後著 ! jack sir︰接近水尾 留意一個位穿就沽貨|阿斯 昇爺|Tasty盤房 2025-05-061:18:16
    市寬見頂 沽貨有3個條件 ? 阿爺資金托住 似有後著 ! jack sir︰接近水尾 留意一個位穿就沽貨|阿斯 昇爺|Tasty盤房 2025-05-06
    invidious
    34 views
    Thumbnail for Should Charter Schools Be Allowed to Push Out Difficult Kids?9:41
    Should Charter Schools Be Allowed to Push Out Difficult Kids?
    ReasonVids
    861 views
    Thumbnail for These are the people in control of the Western World6:20
    These are the people in control of the Western World
    bestofpoal
    548 views
    Thumbnail for Politicians Want to Destroy Section 230, the Internet's First Amendment4:25
    Politicians Want to Destroy Section 230, the Internet's First Amendment
    ReasonVids
    989 views
    Thumbnail for Italian Woman Curses Out Cat Killing Migrant1:14
    Italian Woman Curses Out Cat Killing Migrant
    bestofwolfballs
    698 views
    Thumbnail for Moral Markets: Paul Zak discusses Oxytocin, Trade, and Human Nature14:17
    Moral Markets: Paul Zak discusses Oxytocin, Trade, and Human Nature
    ReasonVids
    846 views
    Thumbnail for P.J. O'Rourke: 'This Is the End of the World for Classical Liberalism.'6:11
    P.J. O'Rourke: 'This Is the End of the World for Classical Liberalism.'
    ReasonVids
    945 views
    Thumbnail for I have just erased everything. | Blinkin0:26
    I have just erased everything. | Blinkin
    invidious
    370 views
    Thumbnail for The Great Jussie Smollett Caper2:52
    The Great Jussie Smollett Caper
    AOUisgay
    483 views
    Thumbnail for Kelo:  Five Years Later3:51
    Kelo: Five Years Later
    IJvids
    861 views
    Thumbnail for Summer Chillout 2024 ☀️ 24/7 Live Radio 🏖️ Ibiza Summer Mix 🌴 Best Tropical Deep Lounge House Music | We Are Diamond1:00
    Summer Chillout 2024 ☀️ 24/7 Live Radio 🏖️ Ibiza Summer Mix 🌴 Best Tropical Deep Lounge House Music | We Are Diamond
    invidious
    248 views
    Thumbnail for Flying cotton ball0:09
    Flying cotton ball
    bestofupgoat
    149 views
    Thumbnail for Ken Burns on PBS Funding, Being a "Yellow-Dog Democrat," & Missing Walter Cronkite22:04
    Ken Burns on PBS Funding, Being a "Yellow-Dog Democrat," & Missing Walter Cronkite
    ReasonVids
    972 views
    Thumbnail for Leave the Strand Alone! Iconic Bookstore Owner Pleads With NYC: Don't Landmark My Property6:51
    Leave the Strand Alone! Iconic Bookstore Owner Pleads With NYC: Don't Landmark My Property
    ReasonVids
    972 views
    Thumbnail for Russia trolling the western countries with this video0:52
    Russia trolling the western countries with this video
    bestofpoal
    629 views
    Thumbnail for John McWhorter: ‘Woke Racism’ Has Betrayed Black America1:05:40
    John McWhorter: ‘Woke Racism’ Has Betrayed Black America
    ReasonVids
    793 views
    Thumbnail for The Definitive Jared Taylor Interview2:25:24
    The Definitive Jared Taylor Interview
    AmericanRenaissance
    870 views
    Thumbnail for Halo CE - Team Slayer - Hang Em' High (XBOX ONE) | Mystical Gaming6:13
    Halo CE - Team Slayer - Hang Em' High (XBOX ONE) | Mystical Gaming
    invidious
    391 views
    Thumbnail for Why ask a libertarian? Why now?2:18
    Why ask a libertarian? Why now?
    ReasonVids
    814 views

points

Permalink
Reply
libertarian
,
reason magazine
,
reason.com
,
reason.tv
,
reasontv
TOS  •  Add Keywords  •  Donate  •   Analytics  •   DMCA  •   Puzzle