Library Journal
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Borjas (Robert W. Scrivner Professor of Economics & Social Policy, Kennedy Sch. of Govt., Harvard Univ.; Immigration Economics) presents a solid overview of the effects of immigration on U.S. workers. Immigrants, according to Borjas, might not fit the ideal of the country where they have come to live and work, but these individuals are protected by social insurance programs, and social environments affect their choices. Further, Borjas posits that American immigration is guided by winners and losers. The losers, in his opinion, are nonimmigrant workers competing for the same jobs. One is made conscious of the cost involved in implementing U.S. immigration policy. The author, a child refugee from Cuba, uses personal experience in his research indicating that native workers become more productive when met with highly skilled immigrants. Readers desiring further information on the topic might consult Paul Collier's Exodus. Verdict This book on a timely subject belongs in all collections with economics and immigration holdings. It should interest scholars (it presupposes a background in economics) and to a lesser extent general readers. [See Prepub Alert, 4/25/16.]-Claude Ury, San Francisco © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly
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When an economist wades into a contentious public policy issue, people may gain a better understanding of the nuances, but their underlying convictions are unlikely to change. Borjas, a Harvard professor who has studied the economics of immigration for decades, gamely attempt to explain the complex mix of benefits and drawbacks of the current and preceding waves of immigration to the United States, but his most dramatic conclusions are tempered by equivocal comments such as "We should not be shocked that different methods can easily generate radically different estimates of the gains" of large-scale immigration. His faith in statistics and rigorous methodology is a constant theme, and he finds "ideologically motivated assumptions and platitudes thoroughly unconvincing." Instead, he undertakes the analysis of a number of studies. That, of course, is a worthy approach for elevating a debate, but hearing that "it took nearly a century for the melting pot to do its job" makes it harder to evaluate the success of the American experiment in creating an immigrant nation. While Borjas will go as far as to say that immigration will create winners and losers, the book informs without offering particularly satisfying conclusions. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.