Lunch Seminar Economics (LSE) - 2021/2022
Interviene: Matteo Gamalerio, University of Barcelona
Title: The Political Economy of Open Borders Theory and Evidence on the role of Electoral Rules
Authors: Matteo Gamalerio, Massimo Morelli, Margherita Negri
Abstract: Institutions matter for the political choice of policies. We study, theoretically and empirically, how different electoral systems affect the immigration policy of a country or city, zooming on the labor market as the main source of heterogeneous economic preferences on immigration. The general result is that a polity is more open to immigration the less likely it is that policymaking can be supported by a plurality of voters who do not constitute the absolute majority. There is evidence for this result at all levels in terms of correlations, and we establish causality via regression discontinuity design for the Italian case.