OECD Conference Center
75016 Paris

PROGRAMME

In the absence of migration, there will be 30 percent more exits than entries to the working-age population of high-income OECD countries in the year 2020. Immigration, in conjunction with policies such as better mobilisation of domestic human resources, is one way to help alleviate the labor shortages that will result from these demographic trends. Indeed, prior to the crisis, many OECD countries had already taken measures to facilitate labor migration, and these policies were one of the driving forces behind the growth in international migration until 2008. Yet public opinion in many countries does not seem readily accepting of more labor immigration, as evidenced by the rise of anti-immigrant parties. One of the central elements shaping public opinion on migration is the fiscal impact of immigration, and in many countries there is a debate about the links between migration and the welfare state.

In this context, the conference aims at shedding some new light on these important issues shaping migration policy – the fiscal contribution of migrants, public opinion on migration, and the links between the two. The conference is jointly organised by the OECD, the French research center in international economics (CEPII) and its Club, the research team Equippe of the University of Lille, the Fondazione Rodolfo Debenedetti, the University of Luxemburg and IRES (the Catholic University of Louvain).

The morning session (session 1) will first look at the empirical evidence regarding the fiscal impact of immigration, starting with in-depth country studies from France, Italy and Scandinavia. These will then be put in the broader international perspective, to highlight both cross-country differences and common challenges.

The afternoon session (session 2) will then discuss the links between the fiscal impact of migration – not only the actual impact, but more so the perceived impact – and public opinion on migration, based on novel empirical evidence.

Against this background and the looming labour shortages facing many countries, the conference will conclude with a roundtable discussion on migration and public opinion in the context of labour shortages, gathering senior representatives from employers and trade unions, the European Commission and the press.

9:00 - Welcome address
Christophe Destais, Deputy Director, CEPII
John P. Martin, Director for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs, OECD

9:15 - Keynote Speaker: Assaf Razin, Professor, Cornell University & Tel Aviv University
Migration and the Welfare State: The Magnet Hypothesis vs. The Fiscal-Burden Hypothesis

9:45 - General debate

10:00 - SESSION 1 – FISCAL IMPACT OF MIGRATION ON HOST COUNTRIES

10:00 - Country-based approach
 

Chairman/discussant: Hubert Jayet, Professor, Université Lille 1
 

Xavier Chojnicki, Research fellow, CEPII ; Assistant Professor, Equippe & Université Lille 2
Impacts of Immigration on Aging Welfare-State: An Applied General Equilibrium Model for France

Eskil Wadensjö, Professor, Director of SULCIS, Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI), Stockholm University
The Significance of Immigration for Public Finance in Denmark

Michele Pellizzari, Assistant Professor, Università Bocconi
The Use of Welfare by Migrants in Italy

11:00 - General debate

11:40 - Comparative approaches

Chairman/discussant: Frédéric Docquier, Research Associate, FNRS;

Professor, Université Catholique de Louvain

Thomas Liebig, Migration Specialist, International Migration Division, OECD
Fiscal Impact of Migration in OECD Countries: Overview and First Results

Martin Kahanec, Assistant Professor, Central European University in Budapest; Deputy Program Director «Migration», IZA
Unemployment Benefits and Immigration: Evidence from the EU

12:20 - General debate

14:00 - SESSION 2 – FISCAL IMPACT AND PUBLIC OPINION

Chairman/discussant: Stefano Scarpetta,
Deputy Director for Emlpoyment, Labour and Social Affairs, OECD

Gilles Spielvogel, Assistant Professor, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne
Beliefs and Preferences About Immigration: Heuristic vs. Systematic Judgment

Christian Dustmann, Professor, University College London; Director, Centre for Research and Analysis on Migration
Immigration, Wages, and Compositional Amenities

Giovanni Facchini, Professor, Erasmus University Rotterdam & University of Milan
Open to Goods, Closed to People?

15:00 - General debate

15:40 - ROUND TABLE – PUBLIC OPINION AND IMMIGRATION IN THE CONTEXT OF LABOUR NEEDS / IMMIGRATION ET OPINION PUBLIQUE DANS LE CONTEXTE DE BESOIN DE MAIN D’OEUVRE

With Club du Cepii
(simultaneous translation in French and English)

 

Chairman: John P. Martin, Director for Employment,

Labour and Social Affairs, OECD

John Evans, General Secretary, Trade Union Advisory Committee, OECD

Assaf Razin, Professor, Cornell University & Tel Aviv University

Jacqueline Hénard, Senior Policy Associate, European Council of Foreign Relations; Senior Lecturer, Sciences Po Paris; Editorialist, France Culture

Philippe Legrain, Principal Adviser, Head of the Analysis, Team Bureau of European Policy Advisers, European Commission

17:30 - Concluding remarks
 

End - 17:45

 

For safety reasons, registration is compulsory before October 17.

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