Deck 24: Immigration

Question 1

About ________ of recent annual population growth in the United States is the result of immigration.

A) one-tenth
B) one-fifth
C) one-third
D) one-half

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Kara is considering migrating to another country.Which of the following represents a cost she will face if she decides to move?

A) Financial expenditures to transport herself and her belongings to her new country.
B) The income she currently earns in her home country.
C) The application fee for a green card.
D) All of these.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

According to U.S.Census Bureau data,approximately how many illegal immigrants are estimated to be living continuously in the United States?

A) 5 million.
B) 11 million.
C) 23 million.
D) 30 million.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Juan wants to migrate from Mexico to the United States but knows he cannot do so legally at this time.If he decides to attempt to enter the United States illegally,which of the following costs will he most likely not face?

A) Payment to an expediter ("coyote")to facilitate his entry into the United States.
B) A green card application fee.
C) The loss of income from his current factory job.
D) All of these are costs he must incur to migrate.

Question 5

Which of the following countries has the largest number of immigrants,as a percentage of the labor force (as of 2007)?

A) Austria.
B) New Zealand.
C) United States.
D) Australia.

Question 6

The U.S.Census Bureau estimates that from 2000 to 2009,the net inflow of unauthorized immigrants was about:

A) 100,000 annually.
B) 250,000 annually.
C) 350,000 annually.
D) 700,000 annually.

Question 7

Human capital refers to:

A) the accumulated knowledge and skills that allow a person to be productive.
B) machinery that requires extensive human interaction to be productive.
C) the accumulated financial assets of people.
D) all of these things.

Question 8

In 2011,the greatest number of legal immigrants arriving in the United States came from:

A) India and North Korea.
B) the Dominican Republic and Cuba.
C) China and Vietnam.
D) Mexico and China.

Question 9

The primary motivation for economic immigration is:

A) the prospect of paying lower prices for goods and services.
B) to flee political oppression.
C) the opportunity to increase earnings and standard of living.
D) to reunite with family members.

Question 10

Which of the following cases best illustrates economic immigration?

A) Sophia migrated to Germany to rejoin her family.
B) Julio migrated to Australia to take a job paying three times what he earned at home.
C) Nguyen migrated to the United States to escape religious persecution.
D) Vladimir migrated to Great Britain to avoid political imprisonment.

Question 11

The H1-B provision of immigration law:

A) allows 65,000 high-skilled workers in specialty occupations to enter and work in the United States for six years.
B) raised U.S.annual immigration quotas from 500,000 to 700,000.
C) established a lottery for the admission of diversity immigrants into the United States.
D) provided amnesty to over one million illegal immigrants in 1989-1991,allowing them to become legal citizens of the United States.

Question 12

A person will be more likely to migrate the:

A) greater the distance they will have to travel from their country of origin.
B) greater the wages in their prospective new country relative to wages in their home country.
C) fewer the number of "beaten paths" that exist to their prospective new country.
D) greater the number of children they have.

Question 13

Which of the following is least likely to be considered economic immigration?

A) Bob migrates to Canada to improve his access to health care.
B) Manuela migrates to the United States to open an authentic Italian cooking school.
C) Myklos migrates to Switzerland because the public pension system is more generous than in his home country.
D) Alexander migrates to the United States because his political writings are censored in his home country.

Question 14

Approximately how many people became permanent legal residents of the United States in 2011?

A) 1,062,000.
B) 854,000.
C) 720,000.
D) 251,000.

Question 15

Economic immigrants:

A) are defined as any international migrants that have an impact on the economy.
B) are defined as international migrants motivated by economic gain.
C) only impact the economy if they enter the country legally.
D) include not only people,but also any capital that migrates from another country.

Question 16

"Beaten paths" from one country to another:

A) discourage migration to that country because of a perception that all of the good jobs have already been taken.
B) discourage migration by increasing the cost of moving.
C) encourage migration by providing employment contacts and job information.
D) are more prevalent the greater the distance between the two countries.

Question 17

According to the Office of Immigration Statistics,approximately what percentage of legal immigrants to the United States in 2011 were refugees?

A) 1.3 percent.
B) 4.7 percent.
C) 13 percent.
D) 16 percent.

Question 18

About ________ of recent annual labor force growth in the United States is the result of immigration.

A) one-tenth
B) one-fifth
C) one-third
D) one-half

Question 19

Which of the following individuals is most likely to migrate to Switzerland,assuming that all face equally good prospects of securing a good job after arrival?

A) Ricardo is 25 years old,single,and currently lives in Italy.
B) Ivan is 50 years old,married,and currently lives in Russia.
C) Maria is 40 years old,married with three children,and currently lives in Mexico.
D) Tran is 35 years old,single,speaks only Vietnamese and a little English,and currently lives in Vietnam.

Question 20

According to the Office of Immigration Statistics,approximately what percentage of legal immigrants in 2011 were parents,children,siblings,or other qualified relatives of legal permanent U.S.residents?

A) 13 percent.
B) 57 percent.
C) 65 percent.
D) 81 percent.

Question 21

Most remittances flow toward:

A) European nations.
B) advanced industrial nations.
C) developing nations.
D) North America.

Question 22

Unimpeded immigration between two nations tends to:

A) increase business income in both nations.
B) increase business income in the nation receiving immigrants but reduce it in the nation experiencing emigration.
C) reduce business income in the nation receiving immigrants but increase it in the nation experiencing emigration.
D) reduce business income in both nations.

Question 23

Worker migration will cause wage rates to equalize across two countries if all of the following conditions are met except:

A) migration is motivated strictly by wage differentials.
B) neither nation restricts or interferes with migration.
C) both countries use the same currency.
D) migration has no cost.

Question 24

"Backflows" occur when:

A) two countries send immigrants to each other in approximately equal numbers.
B) physical capital flows into a country that has lost labor due to migration.
C) immigrants send financial payments back to family in their country of origin.
D) migrants return to their home country.

Question 25

Assuming migration is unimpeded and costless,which of the following statements is most accurate about the effect of immigration on wages in both the origin and destination nations?

A) Wages will rise in the origin nation and fall in the destination nation,and overall wage income must rise.
B) Wages will rise in both nations,and overall wage income must rise.
C) Wages will rise in the origin nation and fall in the destination nation,and the wage changes must cancel each other,resulting in no net change in overall wage income.
D) Wages will rise in the origin nation and fall in the destination nation,but the effect on overall wage income depends on the elasticities of labor demand.

Question 26

Remittances and backflows of experienced workers:

A) reduce the efficiency gains from migration.
B) reverse wage equalization that occurred with the original migration.
C) exacerbate the problem of "brain drain" from developing nations.
D) redistribute gains toward the original emigrant nation.

Question 27

The voluntary relocation of employable migrants from low-paying nations to high-paying nations reduces:

A) wage rate disparities among nations.
B) business or capitalist income in the world.
C) labor productivity in the world.
D) total wage income in the world.

Question 28

Other things equal,the voluntary relocation of employable migrants from low-paying nations to high-paying nations will:

A) increase business or capitalist incomes in the low-paying nations.
B) reduce real output in the world.
C) increase business or capitalist incomes in the high-paying nations.
D) reduce wage rates in the low-paying nations.

Question 29

Voluntary migration of skilled craftworkers from low-paying to high-paying nations is most likely to be opposed by:

A) business groups in the high-paying nations.
B) craft workers who stay in the low-paying nations.
C) industrial unions in the high-paying nations.
D) craft unions in the high-paying nations.

Question 30

Which of the following will most likely cause backflows?

A) Poor information that leads a migrant to overestimate the net benefits of migration.
B) High moving costs.
C) Falling wages in a migrant's origin nation.
D) High levels of skill transferability.

Question 31

Immigrants tend to choose countries closer to their country of origin because:

A) bordering countries always have high wage rates.
B) there are fewer beaten paths to nearby countries,and therefore better prospects of finding a good job.
C) neighboring countries usually speak the same language.
D) migration costs tend to be directly related to distance from the country of origin.

Question 32

Which of the following pairs of nations received the most remittances from their emigrants in 2011?

A) Mexico and Egypt.
B) China and India.
C) Pakistan and Iran.
D) Vietnam and Thailand.

Question 33

Under what circumstances will immigration be most likely to equalize wage rates across countries?

A) Immigration laws are strict.
B) Immigration is costless and unimpeded.
C) Information about job opportunities is limited.
D) Skill transferability is low.

Question 34

Which of the following statements is true about migration behavior?

A) Older workers are more likely to migrate than younger workers.
B) Migrants are more likely to migrate to countries farther rather than nearer to their home country.
C) Single workers are more likely to migrate than workers with spouses and children.
D) Workers are less likely to migrate where "beaten paths" exist.

Question 35

Inflows of immigrant workers tend to reduce the wages of domestic-born workers.Under which of the following circumstances is this least likely to occur?

A) Migration between countries is unimpeded.
B) Immigrant workers make remittances to their home country.
C) Immigrant workers and domestic-born workers are substitute resources.
D) Immigrant workers and domestic-born workers are complementary resources.

Question 36

Which of the following statements is most accurate about the effects of migration?

A) Migration generally benefits the mover,but there is a net efficiency loss to the world.
B) Migration generally benefits everyone in both the origin and destination nations.
C) Migration generally benefits the mover and creates a net efficiency gain for the world.
D) Remittances cause the gains from immigration to be distributed unevenly.

Question 37

"Remittances" occur when:

A) two countries send immigrants to each other in approximately equal numbers.
B) physical capital flows into a country that has lost labor due to migration.
C) immigrants send financial payments back to family in their country of origin.
D) migrants return to their home country.

Question 38

Because there are costs to migration:

A) complete wage equalization is unlikely to occur,even if national governments impose no restrictions on migration.
B) Migrants are more likely to move to countries far from their origin nation.
C) Migrant and domestic-born workers are unlikely to be substitute resources.
D) Wage equalization will only occur if migrant and domestic-born workers are complementary resources.

Question 39

Efficiency gains from migration:

A) will tend to be greater when workers migrate from nations with high unemployment to nations experiencing full employment.
B) imply that all workers,domestic and migrant,are financially better off as a result of migration.
C) will tend to be greater in countries experiencing "brain drain."
D) usually benefit one nation at the expense of another.

Question 40

If the elasticity of demand for labor in the United States is unitary,immigration into the United States can be expected to:

A) increase the average U.S.wage rate.
B) decrease the total amount of wage earnings that U.S.workers receive.
C) increase the total amount of wage earnings that U.S.workers receive.
D) leave the total amount of wage earnings that U.S.workers receive unchanged.

Question 41

Effectively removing all illegal immigrants from U.S.labor markets would:

A) reduce wages in the United States.
B) increase employment of domestic-born workers,but by a lesser amount than the number of jobs lost by illegal workers.
C) increase employment of domestic-born workers at a rate of one-for-one with the jobs lost by illegal workers.
D) increase employment of domestic-born workers by an amount greater than the number of jobs lost by illegal workers.

Question 42

U.S.immigrants (legal and illegal)have:

A) higher prison rates and crime rates than the native-born population.
B) lower prison rates and crime rates than the native-born population.
C) lower prison rates,but illegal immigrants have higher crime rates than the native-born population.
D) higher prison rates,but lower crime rates,than the native-born population.

Question 43

According to estimates,what percentage of agricultural workers in the United States are illegal immigrants?

A) 12.
B) 19.
C) 25.
D) 50.

Question 44

Other things equal,immigration has what effects on the destination nation?

A) Reduced average wage rate,increased domestic output,increased business income,and lower total wage income of native-born workers.
B) Reduced average wage rate,increased domestic output,increased business income,and greater total wage income of native-born workers.
C) Increased average wage rate,increased domestic output,increased business income,and greater total wage income of native-born workers.
D) Increased average wage rate,reduced domestic output,reduced business income,and lower total wage income of native-born workers.

Question 45

What is the net effect of illegal immigration on total employment in the United States?

A) The net effect is zero,as illegal immigrant workers displace domestic-born workers on a one-for-one basis.
B) Total employment increases,but with some substitution of illegal immigrants for domestic-born workers.
C) Total employment decreases.
D) Total employment increases,with no displacement of or substitution for domestic-born workers.

Question 46

Which of the following statements is true about the effects of illegal immigration in the United States?

A) Illegal immigrant workers displace domestic-born workers on a one-for-one basis.
B) Illegal immigration has a negative fiscal impact that falls most heavily on state and local governments.
C) Illegal immigration negatively impacts wages and the standard of living for all domestic-born workers.
D) All of these are true.

Question 47

Compensating wage differentials:

A) refer to the wage premium given to domestic-born workers.
B) refer to the wage premium necessary to attract illegal immigrant workers.
C) discourage illegal immigrants from entering low-wage labor markets.
D) will attract U.S.workers to undesirable jobs if the differential over less unpleasant work is sufficiently high.

Question 48

According to estimates,what percentage of cleaning workers in the United States are illegal immigrants?

A) 12.
B) 19.
C) 25.
D) 50.

Question 49

Between 1996 and 2006,cash welfare payments to immigrants:

A) rose by 20 percent.
B) rose by 10 percent.
C) fell by 73 percent.
D) fell by 39 percent.

Question 50

Which of the following statements is true about illegal immigration?

A) Illegal immigrants are often willing to work for less pay,keeping costs and prices for consumer goods and services lower.
B) Illegal immigration reduces wages for U.S.workers who are complementary inputs.
C) Illegal immigration tends to reduce wages less for previous immigrants than for native-born workers.
D) All of these.

Question 51

The estimated fiscal burden of illegal immigrant households in the United States is:

A) $800 million per year.
B) $20 billion per year.
C) $50 billion per year.
D) $4.5 billion per year.

Question 52

Suppose that Gamma is an advanced industrial country and Omega is a developing nation.Omega will gain the most from having some of its people emigrate to Gamma if:

A) Omega is currently experiencing full employment.
B) the most skilled workers emigrate.
C) Omega currently suffers from high unemployment and the unemployed emigrate.
D) the costs to emigrate to Gamma are high.

Question 53

Which of the following statements is most accurate about welfare utilization by immigrant and nonimmigrant households (households with minor children)in 2009?

A) Over half of immigrant households received some form of welfare,while less than half of nonimmigrant households received assistance.
B) Over half of nonimmigrant households received some form of welfare,while less than half of immigrant households received assistance.
C) Households headed by an illegal immigrant were less likely (as a percentage of households)to receive some form of welfare than legal immigrant and nonimmigrant households.
D) Immigrant and nonimmigrant households have similar rates of welfare utilization.

Question 54

Other things equal,the greater the degree of complementarity between potential immigrants and native-born workers,the:

A) lower the optimal quantity of immigrants.
B) lower the marginal benefit of additional immigrants.
C) greater the marginal cost of additional immigrants.
D) greater the optimal quantity of immigrants.

Question 55

Other things equal,the optimal quantity of immigrants will be greater,the:

A) higher the unemployment rate in the destination nation.
B) greater the degree of substitutability between immigrant and domestic-born workers.
C) greater the degree of complementarity between immigrant and domestic-born workers.
D) lower the rate at which immigrants can be absorbed.

Question 56

Illegal immigration positively contributes to the U.S.standard of living by reducing:

A) the fiscal burdens of state and local governments.
B) the average wages of domestic-born workers.
C) crime rates.
D) prices of goods and services produced with illegal immigrant labor.

Question 57

Scholarly estimates of the effects of immigration on the average American wage range from:

A) -5 to -2 percent.
B) +2 to +3 percent.
C) -5 to +3 percent.
D) -3 to +2 percent.

Question 58

Other things equal,the optimal number of immigrants will be greater,the:

A) greater the education and skill level of immigrants.
B) lower the education and skill level of immigrants.
C) higher the unemployment rate of the destination nation.
D) greater the fiscal burden of each immigrant.

Question 59

Economic theory suggests that the optimal level of immigration in the United States:

A) is zero.
B) occurs where the marginal benefit of the last immigrant equals or just exceeds the marginal cost of the last immigrant.
C) occurs where the marginal benefit of the last immigrant equals or just exceeds zero.
D) occurs at the level where the difference between the marginal benefit and marginal cost of the last immigrant is maximized.

Question 60

Illegal immigration tends to:

A) increase average wages and employment where illegal workers are complements to domestic-born workers.
B) increase average wages and employment where illegal workers are substitutes for domestic-born workers.
C) increase average wages and employment whether illegal workers are complements to or substitutes for domestic-born workers.
D) reduce average wages and employment whether illegal workers are complements to or substitutes for domestic-born workers.

Question 61

(Consider This)According to the Council of Economic Advisers:

A) skilled immigrants regularly displace domestic-born workers.
B) skilled immigrants pay more in taxes than they receive in services from the government.
C) immigration is a net drain on the U.S.economy and should be more tightly restricted.
D) children of immigrants frequently lack the skills to perform well academically,particularly in math and science.

Question 62

If all nations prohibited the international migration of labor,we would expect world output to decline.

Question 63

Illegal immigration can result in higher wages for domestic-born workers who are complementary inputs.

Question 64

The existence of "beaten paths" tends to discourage immigration because of the perception that job prospects have been exhausted.

Question 65

Business income will decrease in the nation from which workers emigrate.

Question 66

If the demand for labor in a country receiving immigrants is inelastic,the immigration will increase the total wages paid in that country.

Question 67

Any migration that affects the economies of the countries involved is referred to as "economic immigration."

Question 68

The U.S.Census Bureau estimates that more than one million illegal immigrants enter the United States each year.

Question 69

Other things equal,younger workers are more likely to migrate than older workers.

Question 70

Illegal immigrants displace domestic-born workers on a one-for-one basis.

Question 71

"Backflows" are payments made by immigrants back to their home countries.

Question 72

(Consider This)Since 1990,U.S.immigrants have founded ____ of every _____ public companies financed by venture capital.

A) 1;4
B) 1;3
C) 1;2
D) 2;5

Question 73

Economists treat economic immigration as a human capital investment decision.

Question 74

Welfare payments to immigrants have steadily increased since 1996.

Question 75

There were over one million legal immigrants into the United States in 2011.

Question 76

(Last Word)Which of the following best explains why the net flow of illegal immigrants to the United States has been close to zero (particularly from 2009-2011)?

A) Increases in Mexican birth rates have made migration more costly.
B) Economic growth in Mexico exceeded U.S.growth from 2009-2011.
C) Immigration reform has reclassified many illegal immigrants as legal immigrants.
D) Dramatic cuts in social services to illegal immigrants has led many to return to their country of origin.

Question 77

(Last Word)As a result of the Great Recession of 2007-2009,illegal immigration to the United States:

A) has increased dramatically.
B) fell significantly during the recession but has increased since the recession and the illegal immigrant population is growing significantly again.
C) illegal immigration to the United States fell significantly and the net flow of illegal immigrants following the recession has been close to zero.
D) illegal immigration to the United States fell significantly,and now there is a dramatic backflow that has the total number of illegal immigrants in the United States falling.

Question 78

Economic research consistently finds that immigration negatively impacts the average American wage.

Question 79

Welfare reform in 1996 reversed the trend of growing welfare payments to immigrants.

Question 80

If unemployed workers leave a nation,the standard of living (national income per capita)will rise in that nation.