Results of Survey of Economics Professors on Immigration, Drug, and Pharmaceutical Policies

Abstract

We conducted a survey by mail in 2013 of randomly selected economics professors in the United States about the welfare effects of three proposed policy reforms. We received back 574 completed surveys (a 19 percent response rate). A large majority supported a reform to increase immigration into the United States, a large majority supported liberalization of restrictions on the sale of marijuana or cannabis, and a plurality supported a liberalization of pharmaceutical regulation. This report simply details those topline results of the survey (the survey was designed for a different purpose, which we have written about elsewhere).

Keywords: economists, public policy, international migration, illegal drugs, Food and Drug Administration

JEL Classification: A14, F22, I18, K14