Ran Abramitzky studies the economic history of immigration by tapping into now-public government records and using AI to chart changing attitudes on immigration captured in written documents and official speeches. What’s revealed is a remarkable story that often diverges from conventional wisdom. Not all streets were paved with gold, Abramitzky tells host Russ Altman, himself a descendant of immigrants, on this episode of Stanford Engineering’s The Future of Everything podcast.Connect With Us:Episode Transcripts The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / FacebookChapters:(00:00:00) IntroductionHost Russ Altman introduces the episode's focus on immigration myths, and the data story behind them with economist Ran Abramitzky.(00:01:56) The Methods & Data used Ran explains his approach to researching immigration using quantitative methods, data sets, and text analysis.(00:03:39) Who is an Immigrant?A conversation on the scope of the term 'immigrant' and the focus on voluntary immigration in this work(00:05:01) Personal Anecdotes and Immigrant ExperiencesRuss & Ran discuss the truth behind opportunities presented through immigration, illustrated by Russ’s family experience. (00:07:11) The Rags to Riches MythDebunking this story, looking at the economic status of immigrants on arrival and the generational improvements, often driven by taking jobs beneath their skill levels.(00:09:17) Cultural AssimilationExamining the cultural assimilation of immigrants, including marriage patterns, naming children, and citizenship.(00:10:53) Current Relevance of Historical Immigration PatternsThe consistency of historical immigration trends across nationalities and generation, despite policy changes regarding borders(00:13:09) Crime MythsExploration of resistance to immigration, debunking of myths linking immigrants to increased crime rates, incarceration data(00:15:39) Historical and Contemporary PolarizationExamining how political rhetoric and attitudes towards immigrants have evolved over the last 150 years, focusing on polarization.(00:18:00) Immigrant Beliefs on ImmigrationDiscussion on how immigrants' attitudes towards immigration change after settling in the U.S.(00:20:34) Refugees & Ellis Island InterviewsInterviews with immigrants from Ellis Island provide insights into the experiences of refugees versus economic immigrants and the convergence of immigrant paths by the second or third generation.(00:24:36) Impact of Research on Government PolicyThe influence, or lack, of immigration research on government policy and public perception. Abramitzky shares the importance of a long-term view of immigration success.(00:27:15) Conclusion Connect With Us:Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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