Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/234121 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
GLO Discussion Paper No. 846
Publisher: 
Global Labor Organization (GLO), Essen
Abstract: 
We present a novel theory that immigrants facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship by being willing and able to invest in new skills. Immigrants whose human capital is not immediately transferable to the host country face lower opportunity costs of investing in new skills or methods and will be more exible in their human capital investments than observationally equivalent natives. Areas with large numbers of immigrants may therefore lead to more entrepreneurship and innovation, even among natives. We provide empirical evidence from the United States that is consistent with the theory's predictions.
Subjects: 
immigration
innovation
entrepreneurship
human capital
JEL: 
J15
J24
J39
J61
L26
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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