Deck 19: Immigration Policy

Question 1

Among the push factors that lead people to immigrate to another country are source country:

A) famine.
B) poverty.
C) low wages.
D) unemployment.
E) All of the above.

Answer 1

All of the above.

Question 2

Among the "pull" factors that motivate people to immigrate to another country are destination country:

A) discrimination.
B) civil war.
C) violence and crime.
D) military service.
E) high wages.

Answer 2

high wages.

Question 3

Among the "stay" factors that keep people from moving to another country are:

A) violent crime and civil war in the source country.
B) low wages in the source country.
C) discrimination in the source country.
D) the ownership of hard-to-sell property in the source country.
E) employment in the destination country.

Answer 3

the ownership of hard-to-sell property in the source country.

Question 4

Why do so few people immigrate?

A) The economic and social costs of moving to a new country are high.
B) Income differences between countries are getting smaller.
C) Transportation costs have been rising.
D) Economic growth has led more countries to encourage immigration.

Question 5

The incentives that influence immigration fall into the following categories:

A) (1) negative incentives that push people to leave a country and (2) positive incentives that pull people to immigrate another country.
B) (1) negative incentives that push people to leave a country, (2) positive incentives that pull people to immigrate another country, (3) positive incentives to stay at home, and (4) negative incentives to stay away from another country.
C) (1) positive incentives to stay at home and (2) negative incentives to stay away from a country.
D) (1) positive incentives that pull people to immigrate another country and (2) positive incentives to stay at home.

Question 6

International migration would be even greater than it actually is today if it were not for:

A) the increasingly higher costs of transportation between countries.
B) the extensive barriers to immigration that nearly all countries' governments have put in place.
C) decreasing income differences between countries.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 7

International migrants:

A) almost always move permanently, with few ever going back to their native countries.
B) have often reconsidered their initial migrations and returned to their native lands.
C) seldom return to their native lands because the cost of moving is so great, even though most would prefer to return.
D) to the United States always settled permanently, but in some countries immigrants usually only stay for a limited number of years.

Question 8

During the first half of the nineteenth century, how did the United States answer the fourth of the "six immigration policy questions," namely how many resources should be devoted to enforcing the immigration restrictions?

A) It did not have to devote any resources because immigration was not restricted.
B) It only devoted resources to stop non-European immigrants.
C) It only established border patrols along the Canadian border.
D) It devoted a large amount of resources to create the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Question 9

One of the very first U.S. laws that restricted immigration was enacted in:

A) 1776, immediately after the U.S. declared independence from Britain.
B) 1882, with the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
C) 1917, with the passage of the literacy requirement for immigrants.
D) 1965, with the Immigration Act.

Question 10

Among the legislation by the United States in the 1920s that finally placed strict limits on immigration is the:

A) Emergency Quota Act of 1921.
B) Japanese Exclusion Act of 1924.
C) Immigration Act of 1924.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 11

After 1965 when the United States moved away from the quota system that favored immigration from Northern Europe to a more open system based, in large part, on the principle of "family reunification":

A) immigration fell sharply.
B) the United States began receiving many more immigrants from developing countries in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Asia.
C) Europeans increasingly came to the U.S. as illegal immigrants.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 12

The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA):

A) eliminated the Border Patrol.
B) established penalties on employers who knowingly employ illegal aliens.
C) authorized the immediate arrest of any illegal immigrant in the U.S. for more than five years.
D) based all immigrant visas on special talents and education.

Question 13

Research has confirmed that the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA) provision:

A) increasing border patrols has greatly reduced the number of people entering the U.S. illegally.
B) requiring employers to verify citizenship has reduced the employment of illegal immigrants sharply.
C) for a one-time amnesty may actually have increased illegal immigration to the United States.
D) All of the above.

Question 14

George Borjas' recent research on immigration has found that:

A) recent immigrants to the United States are more skilled than previous immigrants.
B) recent immigrants catch up to native Americans more rapidly than was the case previously.
C) recent immigrants to the United States are less skilled than previous immigrants.
D) recent immigrants to the United States are less likely to make use of social services.

Question 15

Immigration policy in Western European countries is best described as follows:

A) immigration is strictly banned, and the only immigration that occurs is unauthorized.
B) guest workers were permitted in the past, but today few immigrants are allowed in.
C) immigration among members of the European Union is unrestricted, but immigration from outside the union is tightly restricted.
D) Western Europe is a source of immigrants, not a destination, and therefore it has no explicit immigration policies.

Question 16

Among the forces driving changes in developed countries' immigration policies is/are:

A) the ageing of populations.
B) a shortage of skilled and educated labor in high-tech industries.
C) a shortage of workers in low-wage service sectors of the economy.
D) All of the above.

Question 17

According to the case study on the traffickers who bring illegal workers to high-wage countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, or Germany, these intermediaries are able to carry out their lucrative trade because:

A) the wage differences between places like Europe and China represent huge arbitrage opportunities.
B) there are no restrictions on immigration by the developed countries.
C) there are many legal ways for immigrants from poor countries to travel to Europe and other high-income areas as tourists or students.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 18

Could a destination country somehow keep wages for native workers unchanged even as immigrants are permitted into the country?

A) No, any type of immigration will suppress wages of native workers.
B) No, even discriminatory treatment of foreign workers in domestic labor markets cannot prevent declines in natives' wages.
C) Yes, because immigration does not normally have any effect on natives' wages anyway.
D) Yes, some regulations that discriminate against immigrant workers by limiting foreign workers to certain segments of the domestic labor market can prevent declines in native workers' wages.

Question 19

The aging of populations in most developed economies is likely to:

A) reduce opposition to immigration because the number of workers per retired person is falling drastically in many countries.
B) increase opposition to immigration because the number of workers per retired person is falling drastically in many countries.
C) reduce opposition to immigration because the number of workers per retired person is rising sharply in many countries.
D) have no effect on immigration policies.

Question 20

Unauthorized immigration:

A) is more common today than it was earlier in the twentieth century.
B) is implicitly supported by employers in low-wage industries in high-income countries.
C) is not strenuously punished in most high-wage countries.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 21

One reason why unauthorized immigration is not always vigorously addressed by policy makers or enforcement agencies in destination countries is that:

A) employers and consumers in destination countries often find that they benefit from immigration.
B) it is simply not that big a problem because there are very few illegal immigrants.
C) only consumers stand to lose from illegal immigration, and they have little lobbying power.
D) the trend toward completely free international migration in most countries means that the problem will go away soon.

Question 22

Unauthorized immigration occurs because:

A) the declining income differences between countries reduce the advantages of immigrating legally.
B) people seek to take advantage of opportunities to better themselves even when there are legal barriers.
C) legal immigration is not restricted.
D) employers are reluctant to hire undocumented immigrants.