Europe's Tired, Poor, Huddled Masses: Self-Selection and Economic Outcomes in the Age of Mass Migration

51 Pages Posted: 25 Jan 2010 Last revised: 11 May 2023

See all articles by Ran Abramitzky

Ran Abramitzky

Stanford University - Department of Economics

Leah Platt Boustan

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Department of Economics

Katherine Eriksson

University of California, Davis

Date Written: January 2010

Abstract

The Age of Mass Migration (1850-1913) was among the largest migration episodes in history. During this period, the United States maintained open borders. Using a novel dataset of Norway-to-US migrants, we estimate the return to migration while accounting for migrant selection across households by comparing migrants with their brothers who stayed in Norway. We also compare the fathers of migrants and non-migrants by wealth and occupation, and examine migrants' assimilation in the US labor market. We find that, unhindered by entry restrictions, migrants were negatively selected from the sending population and their return to migration was relatively low.

Suggested Citation

Abramitzky, Ran and Boustan, Leah Platt and Eriksson, Katherine, Europe's Tired, Poor, Huddled Masses: Self-Selection and Economic Outcomes in the Age of Mass Migration (January 2010). NBER Working Paper No. w15684, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1540988

Ran Abramitzky (Contact Author)

Stanford University - Department of Economics ( email )

Stanford, CA 94305
United States

Leah Platt Boustan

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) - Department of Economics ( email )

Box 951477
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1477
United States

Katherine Eriksson

University of California, Davis ( email )

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