The Biggest Idea in Development That No One Really Tried

Clemens, Michael A.

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The Biggest Idea in Development That No One Really Tried

THE ANNUAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE WEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF NATIONS, p. 25, Emily Chamlee-Wright, ed., Beloit College, 2010

26 Pages Posted: 7 Oct 2011

See all articles by Michael A. Clemens

Michael A. Clemens

George Mason University; Peterson Institute for International Economics; IZA-Institute for the Study of Labor; Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration; Center for Global Development

Date Written: 2010

Abstract

A question that continues to puzzle development economists is why, despite tremendous efforts to the contrary, we do not see a consistent pattern of wealth convergence between the developed and developing worlds. Drawing upon the post-Apartheid experience of South Africa in which black South Africans were allowed for the first time to migrate to central Johannesburg, Clemens argues that dismantling restrictions on international migration could play an important role in closing the international wealth gap between rich and poor.

Keywords: international migration, wealth gap, development economics

JEL Classification: F22

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Clemens, Michael Andrew, The Biggest Idea in Development That No One Really Tried (2010). THE ANNUAL PROCEEDINGS OF THE WEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF NATIONS, p. 25, Emily Chamlee-Wright, ed., Beloit College, 2010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1940197