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Michael A. Clemens

Center for Global Development, USA, and IZA, Germany

IZA World of Labor fills a big gap in labor economics: providing rigorous yet comprehensible summaries of frontier research. It performs a critical service

IZA World of Labor role

Author

Current position

Senior Fellow and Research Manager, Center for Global Development, Washington, DC, USA

Research interest

Migration and development, economic growth, aid effectiveness, economic history

Website

http://www.cgdev.org/expert/michael-clemens

Positions/functions as a policy advisor

Consultant, World Bank, Washington, DC, USA (2013–2014)

Past positions

Visiting Scholar, Department of Economics & Wagner School, New York University, New York, USA (2011); Affiliated Associate Professor, Georgetown University Public Policy Institute, Washington, DC, USA (2003–2010); Research Fellow, Center for International Development, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA (2000–2002)

Qualifications

PhD Economics, Harvard University, 2002

Selected publications

  • “Economics and emigration: Trillion-dollar bills on the sidewalk?” Journal of Economic Perspectives 25:3 (2011): 83–106.

  • “Global skill partnerships: A proposal for technical training in a mobile world.” IZA Journal of Labor Policy 4:2 (2015).

  • “A case against taxes and quotas on skilled emigration.” Journal of Globalization and Development 5:1 (2014): 1–39.

  • “Why do programmers earn more in Houston than Hyderabad? Evidence from randomized processing of U.S. visas.” American Economic Review 103:3 (2013): 198–202.

article(s)

  • Smart policy toward high-skill emigrants

    Many proposed policies on skilled migration do little to improve skill stocks or development outcomes, but promising options exist

    Michael A. Clemens, November 2015
    Immigration officials in rich countries are being asked to become overseas development officials, charged with preventing skilled workers from leaving poor countries, where their skills are needed. Some advocates urge restrictions or taxes on the emigration of doctors and engineers from developing countries. Others urge incentives to encourage skilled workers to remain or return home or policies to facilitate their interactions with home countries. Regulations often reflect compassionate and political sentiments without clear evidence that the regulations achieve the desired development goals and avoid pernicious side effects.
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