The pro‐trade impacts of immigrants: a meta‐analysis of network effects
Journal of Chinese Economic and Foreign Trade Studies
ISSN: 1754-4408
Article publication date: 8 February 2011
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine whether there are any systematic relationships between the characteristics of each study about immigrants' pro‐trade impacts and its results.
Design/methodology/approach
A meta‐analysis of 24 papers and 184 estimates that study the trade‐creating network effects of immigrants is employed.
Findings
The paper finds that, first, immigrant's trade‐creating effects are higher for English‐speaking countries than for non‐English‐speaking countries; second, immigrant's trade‐creating effects are higher for disaggregated data than for aggregated data; third, the trade‐creating effects seem declining over time. Besides, no evidence of publication bias has been found.
Research limitations/implications
This study relied heavily on case studies on developed countries.
Practical implications
Given strong evidence about the pro‐trade effects of immigrants and the unevenness of such effects, the world countries could reduce the cost and barriers for the movements of immigrants and thus help to increase international trade.
Originality/value
The paper is the first to use meta‐analysis to assess the pro‐trade effects of immigrants across different studies.
Keywords
Citation
Lin, F. (2011), "The pro‐trade impacts of immigrants: a meta‐analysis of network effects", Journal of Chinese Economic and Foreign Trade Studies, Vol. 4 No. 1, pp. 17-27. https://doi.org/10.1108/17544401111106789
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2011, Emerald Group Publishing Limited