A note on the political economy of immigration

In this note it is shown that the different attitudes towards immigration c an be explained in terms of economic interest, although the public immigrat ion debate is dominated by moral and political arguments. On the one hand, immigration supporters are mainly found among those who may expect economic gains from immigration - skilled workers and especially members of certain professions. On the other hand, unskilled workers who stand to lose econom ically because they can be easily substitued for by immigrants are for the most part opposed to immigration.