Immigratie vanuit historisch en economisch perspectief

This paper provides a survey of the economic literature on immigration. We first give an impression of immigration in the Netherlands in 1500-1960, followed by a discussion of the long term economic consequences of the mass migration preceding Word War I. We then discuss some literature which mainly focuses on the recent (short term) impact of immigration on the labour market and the sustainability of public finances. While economic historians point out that in the long run immigration can be beneficial to the host country, the 'recent' literature typically provides a less optimistic picture. Finally, we analyse in the context of an ageing European population which instruments could play a role in offsetting the negative consequences (in terms of GDP per capita growth) of a declining labour supply. We tentatively conclude that economic migration should not be excluded as an instrument.