Some Links

Ben Zycher explains how environmental policies in California exacerbate economic inequality.

My former GMU student Alex Nowrasteh responds to Reihan Salam’s, as well as to Ross Douthat’s, pessimism about immigrant assimilation.

Speaking of immigrants, new research (by Giovanni Peri and Vasil Yasenov) on the 1980 Mariel-boat-lift immigrants to America shows that this influx of immigrants did not depress wage rates. (gated) A slice:

This result suggests that the common belief that more immigrant workers depress native workers’ wages or employment is not a good representation of what happens. Earlier research by one of us has shown that native workers do not suffer the negative impact of arriving immigrants because they take different jobs. Moreover, their arrival stimulates productivity and growth in the economy.

Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby is unhappy with the cronyism that fueled G.E.’s move to Massachusetts.

Emily Skarbek explains the benefits of sweatshops – or, perhaps more accurately, the harm unleashed on poor people of efforts to shut sweatshops down.

Next Tuesday’s (January 26th) “Conversations with Tyler” is with Kareem Abdul Jabbar.

My Mercatus Center colleague Veronique de Rugy has a question for Bernie Sanders and his fans.