Many people in poorer countries want to move to richer countries with greater economic opportunities but cannot, due to tight immigration restrictions. The world thus resembles a gated community surrounded by poor neighborhoods. These migration barriers increase global poverty overall. This talk will examine research that sheds light on the effects of immigration barriers on the world’s poorest people and discuss implications for efforts to reduce poverty and inequality.

Scott Bradford is Associate Professor of Economics at BYU where he conducts research in international economics. He has published in several journals including The American Economic Review and The Review of Economics and Statistics, as well as co-authored a book on globalization. He did a Fulbright Fellowship in India. A graduate of BYU, Bradford earned an MPA from Princeton and a PhD from Harvard.

Part of our Winter 2022 lecture series, “Engaging Global Inequality.”