Migration State and Welfare State: Competition vs. Coordination in an Economic Union

Abstract

We develop a political-economy model of economic union and compare the competion regime to the coordination regime. Key policy differences emerge between the two regimes: concerning the generosity of the welfare state and the skill composition of migration. We argue that the differences between the U.S. and the EU - the degree of coordination among the member states - contribute to the observed policy differences, as the model predicts.