Wage inequality and immigration in the US and the UK

Cinizia Rienzo discusses wage inequality and immigration in the US and the UK. She assesses if there is a relationship between the increasing number of immigrants and the increasing levels of wage inequality seen in both countries. COMPAS Seminar Series Trinity 2011: Filling the Gaps on the Impacts of Immigration. There is much discussion about the optimal number and desirable characteristics of migrants. A key aspect of this discussion is the impact of immigration on the receiving society, including impacts on the provision of certain services, crime, local wages, social cohesion, neighbourhood dynamics and housing. In some cases, the academic research on these impacts has not kept pace with the policy discussion. As a result, in many cases, policies are based on assumptions, rather than facts. In other cases, there is academic research on the impact, but has been ignored in policy creation. This seminar series hopes to shed light on these issues by exploring the impacts of immigration on receiving countries.