Immigration+and+business

Immigration is near the top of the US political agenda; it is of wide popular concern and of intense interest to business people. Our purpose in this seminar is to understand both the arguments and the political dynamics of the latest debate over immigration. All students should read the following: Participating students should choose and answer __one__ question in a seminar paper of 5-6 pages based on your research. Only one student per question, please. Notify me of which question you will do so we have no duplication. Please refer to my general instructions for seminars: http://alistairhoward.wikispaces.com/Seminar+guidelines >> >> > > > > > >
 * Pol Sci 3155 Business & Public Policy Fall 2008 (Dr. Howard) **
 * Seminar on immigration (11/7) **
 * The Immigration Debate, by Alan Greenblatt, __CQ Researcher__, Feb 1 2008, Volume 18 Issue 5, available from CQ Researcher through Temple’s Library electronic resources (Go to Journal Finder, enter CQ Researcher)
 * The Immigration Charade, by Christopher Jencks, The New York Review of Books, September 27, 2007, http://www.nybooks.com/articles/20602
 * [|McCain’s Immigration Two-Step,] W James Antle III, __The American Spectator__, July 15 2008
 * 1) A profile of immigrants
 * 2) How many immigrants are there, where do they come from, how long do they stay, and where do they live?
 * 3) What is the balance of illegal and legal immigration? How do illegal immigrants typically differ from legal immigrants?
 * 1) Economic benefits : What economic benefit do immigrants bring, and for whom? Is the same true of illegal immigrants?
 * 1) Economic costs: Who, if anyone, is economically threatened by immigrants? By illegal immigration?
 * 1) Interest group positions: What are the major business associations’ or trade associations’ positions on immigration policy? Are there patterns by industry or by size of business?
 * 1) Politics: the Presidential election
 * 2) What were the candidates’ positions on immigration reform during the election?
 * 3) How important was immigration as an issue during the election?