Recent studies have shown that there are significant earnings differentials between immigrants and natives in Switzerland. The goal of this paper is to determine whether these differences can be attributed to diverging socio-economic endowments or to discrimination. We use the well-known...

Migration research has been quite successful in explaining changes in migration flows. Less satisfactory are its answers as to why the overwhelming majority of people remain immobile, despite persistent regional wealth differences and economic integration proceeding. We suggest complementing...

The stagnating West European population combined with the prosperous economic development of the European Community (EC) generate strong economic incentives for immigration. The drastic political changes in Eastern Europe generate emigration pressures. There are a variety of problems with...

The paper deals with the distributional effects of immigration into Switzerland. Focusing on the government budget, it explores empirically whether resident foreigners are a burden or a benefit to the Swiss public transfer system. The estimation is based on the 1990 Consumer Survey by the Swiss...

Switzerland has experienced a substantial influx of immigrants over the 50 years since World War II, to the extent that it now has one of the highest share of foreigners in population among OECD countries. This paper analyses Switzerland’s experience of migration, centring on two main issues:...