In search of a better life: record highs of International migration

Special Issue: Immigration

From International Journal of Comparative Sociology

International migration has reached a record high with ever-growing numbers of immigrants, labor migrants and asylum seekers leaving their homelands in search of better employment opportunities, higher economic rewards, safer political conditions and improved living standards. This special issue addresses two major aspects of immigration: immigrants in the labor market and public reac­tion to immigration.

 

The findings illustrate, rather clearly, the ways that economic behavior and economic success of immigrants, on the one hand, and attitudes and public reaction toward immigrants, on the other hand, are influenced not only by individual-level characteristics of the immigrants and of the local populations but also by structural characteristics of host societies.

 

 

Could economics solve the prison crisis?

From Probation Journal

This study suggests that economists have a unique opportunity to help solve the prison crisis by bringing sophisticated economic modelling techniques to bear on the problem. Over the last decade prison numbers risen sharply in England and Wales and are set to rise further. As of January 2010 the prison population was calculated as 83,378. The conclusions support a move to devolving the budgets for custodials to groups of local authorities and suggest that Justice Reinvestment is an approach likely to lead to more effective criminal justice policies compared to incarceration for reducing re-offending.

To date, the government has made only limited investment in commissioning robust impact studies of criminal justice policies and programmes. A new approach is possible, driven not only by moral or social concerns about actual and perceived crime rates and a high prison population, but also informed by economic analysis and argument. The current economic climate makes this position hard to ignore. The authors urge the government to invest in more impact studies of key criminal justice interventions, particularly prison. They also want to see more cost-benefit analyses to inform policy, and continued capacity building, both within government and the wider research community, to undertake robust economic analyses of criminal justice policies and programmes.

Can Michigan achieve a 35% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by embracing new climate change policies?

Climate change policy formation in Michigan – The case for integrated regional policies

From International Regional Science Review

Following 30 other US states Michigan recently launched The Michigan climate initiative to begin addressing the problem of climate change. This article shows how research was integrated into the policy process to inform decision makers about environmental policy and it estimates the potential gains.

It looks to the successful experience of the European Union Trading System with its Carbon Tax system and puts forward policies that limit emissions by placing a ‘‘cap,’’ enforced by the issuance of permits, or ‘‘allowances.’’

The article concludes  that a combination of sector-based measures and market incentive based policies could attain a low cost, high co-benefit solution.