Patterns of trade and immigration in historical perspective

a column by David Jacks and John Tang for VOX: CEPR’s Policy Portal

Foreign goods and workers are regularly blamed when the national economy is performing poorly. Economic theory suggests that trade and migration are substitutes – one can import cheaper products from a trade partner, or one can import the foreign workers themselves to narrow the difference in international factor prices.

Yet, empirically this is not obvious.

Based on available long-run data for international trade and migration since the late 19th century for the US and Canada, this column finds that during the interwar period, trade and immigration did in fact appear to be substitutes.

Continue reading

---