International Migration Economics Chair : Policy brief on the labor market impact of Amnesty Programs

The labor market impact of Amnesty Programs: Evidence from the French exceptional regularization of 1982

This policy brief documents the economic consequences of a large amnesty program implemented in France after the election of President François Mitterrand in May 1981. By reducing the market power of firms over undocumented immigrants, a regularization program can make the labor market more efficient and increase employment and wages for both the newly legalized and the authorized workforce. Our empirical analysis reveals that the Mitterrand regularization program significantly increased employment and wages for low-skill native workers and immigrant men, and raised per-capita GDP by about 0.5 percent.

Written by

George J. Borjas is the Robert W. Scrivner professor of economics and social policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He is also a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Anthony Edo is economist at the French center for research and expertise on the world economy (CEPII). His fields of interest are Labour and Population Economics, especially on the topics of Migration and Discrimination. He holds a PhD in Economics from the Paris School of Economics.