The Economics of Immigration

Dr. Card has made fundamental contributions to research on immigration, education, job training, the minimum wage, and inequality. On immigration, Card's research has shown that the economic impact of new immigrants is minimal. Card has done several case studies on the rapid assimilation of immigrant groups in the US and Canada, finding that they have little or no impact on wages. In an interview with the New York Times Card said, “I honestly think the economic arguments [against immigration] are second order. They are almost irrelevant.” This does not imply, however, that Card believes immigration should be increased, merely that immigrants do not pose a threat to the labor market.

David Card is the Class of 1950 Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley and Director of the Labor Studies Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research. His research interests include immigration, wages, education, and health insurance. He has published over 90 journal articles and book chapters. In 1995 he received the American Economic Association's John Bates Clark Prize, which is awarded every other year to the economist under 40 whose work is judged to have made the most significant contribution to the field. He was a co-recipient of the IZA Labor Economics Award in 2006, and was awarded the Frisch Medal by the Econometric Society in 2007.