Introduction to "The Roles of Immigrants and Foreign Students in US Science, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship"

Understanding labor markets for workers with specialized training in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is essential for learning about the drivers of innovation and economic growth, yet these labor markets are complex and their dynamics are not fully understood by economists. Recent decades have seen increasingly important roles for the foreign-born in the US STEM workforce and among recipients of advanced degrees at US universities. Given the potential for STEM workers to contribute to the economic growth and continued prosperity of the United States, and in the context of the current public debate about immigration, it is important to understand what affects the supply of these workers. This volume provides evidence on the economic impacts of immigration on the STEM workforce. The chapters examine the location choices of innovative workers and return migration; the relationship between immigration and innovation with regard to initial inflows of migrants; and the relationship between high-skilled immigration and entrepreneurship, with contributions related to immigrant entrepreneur networks and contrasting immigrant and native PhDs’ entrepreneurship.