Suchergebnisse

Immigration is the political topic that people in the heartland of America were talking about this summer. I had conversations with Americans on both sides of the partisan spectrum, with the only commonalty being strong emotions. Some were convinced that migrants were freeloading on government handouts while others pointed to the violence asylum seekers were fleeing. Whatever you say about Trump, he has clearly succeeded in escalating the rhetoric and the passions on what Americans feel about immigration. This furor had me reflecting on why this topic raises tempers and at the same time wondering why Congress seems unable to pass effective immigration legislation. And, simply stated, I want to know the truth about migrants and their impact on America's economy and society?

Challen demonstrates with new data that U.S. policy makers have not increased skill bias in migrant admissions policy, despite a turbulent economy and public concern regarding the fiscal cost of immigration. She presents a new theory of the determinants of change in U.S. migrant admissions policy that highlights the importance of supermajoritarian decision making procedures and special interest groups in influencing policy making in the U.S. Senate. The theory better accounts for both the expansive nature and the infrequency of policy change since 1965. In the final chapter, a methodological principle for data collection is developed that allows researchers to minimize data loss, increase transparency, and maximize the flexibility of data use for comparative policy measures.