Pub Pol 677, p. 1.
Public Policy 677: Immigration Policy
Ann Chih Lin
Office: 712 Oakland St., Rm 365
Ph: 764-7507
annlin@umich.edu
Class schedule: Wednesdays 4-6:30 pm, Lorch 473
Office Hours: Wednesdays 2-4 pm
Fall 2003
Course Description
Immigration is a policy phenomenon with dimensions that are both international and
domestic. The foreign policy interests of states in the international system, the effects
that nations have on each other, and the norms provided by international agreements and
institutions determine whether states will see immigrants as a threat, an obligation, or an
opportunity. The economy, the politics, and the social arrangements of individual
countries affect the reception immigrants receive and the contributions –positive or negative -- that immigrants will make in return. There are few policy areas
that are not affected by immigration, and that do not affect immigration in their turn.
Accordingly, our course will focus on both the international and the domestic aspects of
immigration policy, with a particular focus on emigration from less developed to more
developed countries. We start with a five week unit on the policies that govern entrance
to and membership in a country: permanent, temporary, and unauthorized migration;
asylum and refugee policy; and citizenship. We next move to a six week unit on the
relationship between immigrants and residents, with the United States as the major case.
The readings will cover geographic and economic concentration and dispersal, political
and economic conflict, and opportunities for coalition-building. The course closes by
bringing the units together in a discussion of transnationalism and economic
development, and a series of student presentations on ways to improve immigration for
all of its stakeholders.
Course Requirements
The course has two major requirements: class preparation and participation, which
includes but is not limited to the presentation of mini-projects; and an individual or group
research project.
Class preparation and participation:
Each week’s assignment includes a list of readings (available in two coursepacks, the first
covering 5 weeks and the second covering 6, from Excel, 1117 S. University (above
Pub Pol 677, p. 2.
Ulrich’s Art and Computer Supply, 995-1500) and on COURSETOOLS ) and a mini-project.
The readings must be completed before class and you will be expected to refer to them in
class discussion. The mini-projects are meant to help you apply the week’s readings to
current policy debates and problems, and should be posted to the DISCUSSION area of the
COURSETOOLS website. I will also ask you to present the projects informally during class
discussion.
You must complete four mini-projects satisfactorily to qualify for a B+ in class
participation. You may do as many more as you wish. The projects will be graded check
or check plus. You will be asked to redo unsatisfactory assignments.
Your class participation grade will include your mini-projects and your active, courteous
involvement in discussion. It will count for 30% of your grade.
Research project:
For the research project, you will choose or create a policy proposal that would improve
the management of immigration for receiving or sending countries, and/or that would
improve the lives of immigrants, their compatriots in the sending country, or the natives
of the receiving country. The policy you choose can target any level of government
(national, state/provincial, or local) or an international institution such as the UN,
ASEAN, or the ILO. Your paper should evaluate the political, economic, and social
impacts for all of the relevant stakeholders, assess the obstacles to adoption and
implementation, and consider management needs. It should also address and answer the
major objections to your proposal. You are expected to cite readings from the class in a
meaningful way, as well as to use other sources. The completed paper should be between
15-25 pages.
A list of possible projects is posted on the COURSETOOLS website in the RESOURCES
section; you may choose one of these or propose your own. You may choose to work in
teams of two or three, but I must approve the composition of the team in advance. A
short (1-2 page) project proposal is due on Friday, September 26. An annotated outline
of the project’s sections is due Monday, November 3. You will give a formal
presentation of your proposal during the class on Wednesday, December 3 (length TBA)
and the class will discuss the proposals on Wednesday, December 10. The final paper is
due Monday, December 15.
The grade on your research project will count for 70% of your grade.
Course Schedule and Readings
*ed readings are in coursepack; all other readings are on COURSETOOLS
Week 1 (9/3): Introduction: What causes international migration?
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Week 2 (9/10): Regulating entry: Examining the U.S. and Canada
*Reimers, David and Harold Troper. 1992. “Canadian and American Immigration
Policy since 1945,” in Immigration, Language, and Ethnicity: Canada and the
United States. Washington, DC: AEI Press.
*Borjas, George. 1999. “National Origin,” (Chapter 3), Heaven's Door: Immigration
Policy and the American Economy.
Jasso, Guillermina and Mark R. Rosenzweig. 1989. "Sponsors, Sponsorship Rates, and
the Immigration Multiplier." International Migration Review 23:856-899.
Winter.
Jasso, Guillermina and Mark R. Rosenzweig. 1995. “Do Immigrants Screened for Skills
Do Better than Family Reunification Immigrants?” International Migration
Review 29(1). Spring.
Mini-project
Go to the websites for Citizenship and Immigration Canada
(http://www.cic.gc.ca/english) and the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration
Services (http://www.bcis.gov/graphics/services/residency/index.htm) and in a
paragraph, compare and contrast the two country’s policies on one of the
following topics (no repeats; first come first serve).
•
•
•
•
•
Family-sponsored immigration
Employer-sponsored immigration
Immigration of people with special skills (permanent residents only)
Immigration of people who want to start a business
Country-specific immigration (permanent residents only)
If all of these have been taken, you can also write a paragraph about the readings,
raising a good discussion question. A good discussion question (yes, it has to be a
question) is one that (1) picks up on an argument (not just a fact) in the readings;
and (2) has more than one possible answer.
Post your paragraph and any applicable links on COURSETOOLS.
Week 3 (9/17): Regulating residence: Undocumented and temporary immigration
*Brucker, Herbert, et al. 2002. “Immigration and the EU” (Sections 1.1-1.3 only ) and
“Contracted Temporary Migration,” (Chapter 6) in Immigration Policy and the
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Welfare System, eds. Tito Boeri, Gordon Hanson, and Barry McCormick. New
York: Oxford University Press.
*Hanson, Gordon, et al. 2002. “Illegal Immigration,” (Chapter 11) in Immigration Policy
and the Welfare System, eds. Tito Boeri, Gordon Hanson, and Barry McCormick.
New York: Oxford University Press.
*Hondagneu-Sotelo, Pierrette. 1994. "The Oakview Barrio," (Chapter 3) in Gendered
Transitions: Mexcian Experiences of Immigration. Berkeley: University of
California Press.
Baker, Susan Gonzalez. 1997. "The “Amnesty” Aftermath: Current Policy Issues
Stemming from the Legalization Programs of the 1986 Immigration Reform and
Control Act." International Migration Review. 31:5-27. Spring.
Alarcon, Rafael. 1999. “Recruitment Processes Among Foreign- Born Engineers and
Scientists in Silicon Valley.” American Behavioral Scientist 42(9). June/July.
Mini-project
Find a recent article about (1) a specific temporary migration policy, or a website
dedicated to advocating/opposing these policies, in any country; or (2) illegal
immigration into a country that’s NOT Canada, the US, or in Europe. Write a
paragraph summarizing the article and citing at least one of the readings from the
week. Post the paragraph and a link to the article on COURSETOOLS ; if you only
have a hard copy, bring it to me in class so that I can duplicate it for everyone.
Week 4 (9/24): Asylum seekers and refugees
*Zolberg, Aristide. 1992. “Response to Crisis – Refugee policy in the United States and
Canada,” in Immigration, Language, and Ethnicity: Canada and the United
States. Washington, DC: AEI Press.
*Steiner, Niklaus. 2000. “Introduction,” (Chapter 1) and “Conclusion” (Chapter 5),
Arguing about Asylum: The Complexity of Refugee Debates in Europe. New
York: St. Martin’s Press.
Randall, Melanie. 2002. “Refugee Law and State Accountability for Violence Against
Women.” Harvard Women’s Law Journal 25 (Spring).
Hein, Jeremy. 1993. "Refugees, Immigrants, and the State." Annual Review of
Sociology 19:43-59.
Mini-project
Pub Pol 677, p. 5.
Why should countries have different policies for the admission or the treatment of
refugees/asylees than for immigrants? Write and post a paragraph defending or
supporting differential policies, and be specific about the policies that you are
writing about.
OR
What is happening to refugees/asylum seekers from the wars in Afghanistan and
Iraq? Find an article about the treatment of either group and write a summary
paragraph. Post the paragraph and a link to the article, or turn in a hard copy of
the article in class.
Friday, 9/26: Post your paper proposal to the ASSIGNMENTS section of
COURSETOOLS .
Week 5 (10/1): Citizenship
*Schuck, Peter. 1998. “The Re-Evaluation of American Citizenship,” in Challenge to
the Nation-State: Immigration in Western Europe and the United States, ed.
Christian Joppke. New York: Oxford University Press.
*Guiraudon, Virginie. 1998. “Citizenship Rights for Non-Citizens: France, Germany,
and the Netherlands,” in Challenge to the Nation-State: Immigration in Western
Europe and the United States, ed. Christian Joppke. New York: Oxford
University Press.
*Schuck, Peter and Rogers Smith. 1985. “Birthright Citizenship in the Contemporary
Polity,” (Chapter 4), Citizenship without Consent. New Haven, CT: Yale
University Press.
*Jones-Correa. Michael. 1998. “Resistance from Outside: Machine Politics and the
(Non)Incorporation of Immigrants,” (Chapter 4), “Resistance from Within: The
Myth of Return and the Community of Memory,” (Chapter 5), and “Resolving the
Dilemma through Dual Citizenship” (p. 160-168) in Between Two Nations: The
Political Predicament of Latinos in New York City. Ithaca, NY: Cornell
University Press.
Mini-project
Identify a country in which, or a set of circumstances under whic h, dual
citizenship for immigrants might pose a policy problem. Post a paragraph
explaining why.
Week 6 (10/8): Settlement patterns/enclaves
Frey, William. 2002. “Census 2000 Reveals New Native-Born and Foreign-Born Shifts
Across US.” Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Population Studies Center
Research Report 02-520 (August).
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Frey, William. 2002. “Metro Magnets for Minorities and Whites: Melting Pots, the
New Sunbelt, and the Heartland.” Ann Arbor: University of Michigan
Population Studies Center Research Report 02-496 (February).
*Mormino, Gary and George Pozetta. 1990. “The Cradle of Mutual Aid: Italians and
their Latin Neighbors,” (Chapter 6) and “Social Relations in a Latin Community,”
(Chapter 8), The Immigrant World of Ybor City. Urbana: University of Illinois
Press.
*Fadiman, Anne. 1997. “The Melting Pot,” (Chapter 14) and “”Why Did They Pick
Merced?” (Chapter 16), The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong
Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures. New York:
Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux.
Mini-project
Find a news article that talks either about the problems associated with the
concentration of immigrants in a geographical location, or that talks about the
advantages of the concentration of immigrants. Summarize the article in a
paragraph and post the paragraph and a link to the article, or bring a hard copy of
the article to class.
Week 7 (10/15): Political impact
*Shain, Yossi. 1999. Chapter 2, "U.S. Ethnic Diasporas in the Struggle for Democracy
and Self- Determination," in Marketing the American Creed Abroad: Diasporas
in the U.S. and Their Homelands. New York: Cambridge University Press.
*LeEspiritu, Yen. 1992. “Coming Together: The Asian American Movement,”
(Chapter 2), Asian American Panethnicity: Bridging Institutions and Identities.
Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
*Newton, Lina. 2000. "Why Some Latinos Supported Proposition 187: Testing
Economic Threat and Cultural Identity Hypotheses." Social Science Quarterly
81(1):180-193.
Gimpel, James G. and Karen Kaufmann. 2001. “Impossible Dream or Distant Reality?:
Republican Efforts to Attract Latino Voters.” Washington, DC: Center for
Immigration Studies Backgrounder. August.
Gimpel, James G. 2001. “More Myt hs about Latinos: What Really Happened in Texas.”
National Review Online. September 7.
Mini-project
Pub Pol 677, p. 7.
How did different ethnic and racial groups vote in the California recall election?
Did immigrants vote differently from their co-ethnics? Did they vote similarly to
immigrants from other countries? Post a paragraph on the question, and include a
list of your sources.
Week 8 (10/22): Language and education
*Lopez, David. 1999. “Social and Linguistic Aspects of Assimilation Today,” in The
Handbook of International Migration: The American Experience, eds. Charles
Hirschman, Philip Kasinitz, and Josh DeWind. New York: Russell Sage
Foundation.
*Portes, Alejandro and Ruben Rumbaut. 2001. “Lost in Translation: English and the
New Second Generation” (Chapter 6), “The Crucible Within: Family, Schools,
and the Psychology of the Second Generation,” (Chapter 8), and “School
Achievement and Failure” (Chapter 9), Legacies: The Story of the Immigrant
Second Generation. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Crawford, James. 1999. “The Campaign Against Proposition 227: A Post-Mortem.”
Bilingual Research Journal 21(1). February.
Parrish, Thomas, Robert Linquanti, and Amy Merickel. 2002. “Proposition 227 and
Instruction of English Learners in California: Evaluation Update.” American
Institutes for Research and WestEd.
Mini-project
How might the settlement patterns described in the readings from Week 6 affect
the future of programs for immigrant children and the children of immigrants?
Write a paragraph about your answer, being sure to cite readings from both
weeks.
Week 9 (10/29): Labor markets and ethnic entrepreneurship
*Smith, James P. and Barry Edmonston, eds. 1997. “First Principles: Labor Market
Effects of Immigration” (p. 136-141), The New Americans: Economic,
Demographic, and Fiscal Effects of Immigration . Washington, DC: National
Academy Press.
*Borjas, George. 1999. “The Labor Market Impact of Immigration,” (Chapter 4),
Heaven's Door: Immigration Policy and the American Economy. Princeton:
Princeton University Press.
*Waldinger, Roger. 1996. “The Making and the Remaking of the Ethnic Niche,”
(Chapter 4), “Who Gets the ‘Lousy’ Jobs?” (Chapter 5), and “The Ethnic Politics
of Municipal Jobs,” (Chapter 7), Still the Promised City?: African-Americans
Pub Pol 677, p. 8.
and New Immigrants in Postindustrial New York. Cambridge, MA: Harvard
University Press.
Lee, Jennifer. 1999. "Retail Niche Domination among African American, Jewish, and
Korean Entrepreneurs." American Behavioral Scientist 42(9). June/July.
Valdez, Zulema. 2002. “Beyond Ethnic Entrepreneurship: Ethnicity and the Economy
in Enterprise.” La Jolla: University of California-San Diego Center for
Comparative Immigration Studies Working Paper 63. November.
No mini-project this week; write your outline.
Monday, 11/3: Post your outline to the ASSIGNMENTS section of COURSETOOLS .
Week 10 (11/5): The benefits and costs of immigration
*Hondagneu-Sotelo, Pierrette. 1994. "Reconstructing Gender through Immigration and
Settlement," (Chapter 5) in Gendered Transitions: Mexican Experiences of
Immigration. Berkeley: University of California Press.
*Borjas, George. 1999. “The Benefits of Immigration” (Chapter 5), Heaven's Door:
Immigration Policy and the American Economy. Princeton: Princeton University
Press.
*Betts, Julian. 1998. "Educational Crowding Out: Do Immigrants Affect the
Educational Attainment of American Minorities?" in Help or Hindrance: The
Economic Implications of Immigration for African-Americans, edited by Daniel
Hammeresh and Frank Bean. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
*Espenshade, Thomas J. 1994. "Can Immigration Slow U.S. Population Aging?"
Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 13(4):759-68.
Hao, Lingxin and Kawano Yukio. 2001. “Immigrants' Welfare Use and Opportunity for
Contact with Co-ethnics.” Demography 38(3):375-89.
Mini-project
How might the U.S. change its admission policies for immigrants in order to
maximize the benefits of immigration –to immigrants, to natives, or to the country
as a whole? Write a paragraph about one possible policy change, citing at least
one of the readings from the week.
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Week 11 (11/12): Nativism
*Mink, Gwendolyn. 1986. “Meat vs. Rice (and Pasta): Discovering Labor Politics in
California, 1875-85,” (Chapter 3), Old Labor and New Immigrants in American
Political Development. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
*Higham, John. 1988. “Crusade for Americanization,” (Chapter 9), Strangers in the
Land: Patterns of American Nativism 1860-1925. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers
University Press.
*Shanks, Cheryl. 2001. “Whom to Exclude: the Quota Acts,” (Chapter 4), Immigration
and the Politics of National Sovereignty. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan
Press.
*Shanahan, Suzanne and Susan Olzak. 2002. “Immigration and Conflict in the United
States” in Mass Migration to the United States: Classical and Contemporary
Periods, Pyong Gap Min, ed. Walnut Creek, CA: AltaMira Press.
*Mollenkopf, John. 1999. “Urban Political Conflicts and Alliances: New York and Los
Angeles Compared,” in The Handbook of International Migration: The American
Experience, eds. Charles Hirschman, Philip Kasinitz, and Josh DeWind. New
York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Johnson, James Jr., Walter C. Farrell Jr., and Chandra Guinn. 1997. “Immigration
Reform and the Browning of America: Tensions, Conflicts, and Community
Instability in Metropolitan Los Angeles.” International Migration Review 31(4).
Winter.
Mini-project
Find an article about nativism in a country other than the U.S. Summarize it in a
paragraph and compare it to at least one of the experiences of U.S. nativism from
the readings. Post the paragraph and a link to the article, or bring a hard copy of
the article to class.
Week 12 (11/19): Transnationalism and development
*Hermele, Kenneth. 1997. “The Discourse on Migration and Development,” in
International Migration, Immobility, and Development, eds. Tomas Hammar,
Grete Brochmann, Kristof Tamas and Thomas Faist. New York: Berg.
*Haus, Leah. 2001. “Migration and International Economic Institutions,” in Global
Migrants, Global Refugees, eds. Aristide Zolberg and Peter Benda. New York:
Berghahn Books.
Pub Pol 677, p. 10.
*Massey, Douglas, et al. 1987. “The Socioeconomic Impact of Migration in Mexico,”
(Chapter 8), Return to Aztlan: The Social Process of International Migration
from Western Mexico. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Duany, Jorge. 2002. “Mobile Livelihoods: The Sociocultural Practices of Circular
Migrants Between Puerto Rico and the United States.” International Migration
Review 36(2). Summer.
Yang, Dean. 2003. “The Dynamics of International Labor Migration: Understanding
the Departure and Return of Overseas Filipino Workers.” Working Paper:
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan. June.
Yang, Dean. 2003. “Remittances and Human Capital Investment: Child Schooling and
Child Labor in the Origin Households of Overseas Filipino Workers.” Working
Paper: Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan. June.
Mini-project
Post a paragraph on one of the following questions: how might immigrants be
helped to expand their involvement in the economic development of their sending
countries; OR what are some of the problems that can arise when immigrants play
a large role in the economic development of sending countries?
11/26:
Thanksgiving break
Week 13 (12/3): Presentations
Week 14 (12/10): Discussion of presentations