# Immigration's Economic Impact **URL:** **By** Alex Nowrasteh, Trevor Burrus, Aaron Ross Powell **Published:** February 26, 2021 --- Alex Nowrasteh joins the show to discuss how immigration does not destroy the institutions responsible for prosperity in the modern world. ## Shownotes: Economic arguments favoring increased immigration restrictions suggest that immigrants undermine the culture, institutions, and productivity of destination countries. But is this actually true? Alex Nowrasteh breaks the economic impact of immigration down for us by pulling data from history as well as from policies that other countries use to control immigration. What happens if we open up immigration? What is a founder effect? Why do people want to come to America? ## Further Reading: [Wretched Refuse? The Political Economy of Immigration & Institutions](https://www.amazon.com/Wretched-Refuse-Political-Immigration-Institutions/dp/1108702457/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=wretched+refuse&qid=1606232679&sr=8-1), written by Alex Nowrasteh \& Benjamin Powell [Trillion Dollar Bills on the Sidewalk](https://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdf/10.1257/jep.25.3.83), written by Michael Clemens