People who arrive from other countries to build a new life have immediate and lasting impacts on the local economy. While those impacts are the subject of some of today’s most contentious political debates, research can ground those debates in objective fact.
Giovanni Peri, a professor of economics and leading expert on the economics of migration, has been appointed the C. Bryan Cameron Distinguished Chair in International Economics. The appointment will support Peri’s research, his support for undergraduate and graduate student research and events that are open to the UC Davis community.
“This is a truly well-deserved honor,” said Estella Atekwana, dean of the College of Letters and Science. “Giovanni is internationally recognized for his research on the economics of immigration. His record of classroom teaching and mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students is extraordinary, and his service has elevated his department, the college, campus and even the University of California system.”
Establishing facts about the economics of migration
Peri is most known for his research that explores the dynamics of how immigrant workers shape local job markets. Rather than a zero-sum-game in which immigrants compete with native-born workers for a limited number of jobs, Peri’s analyses show that immigrant workers at all skill levels either have no effect on jobs and wages for U.S.-born workers or that they generate a slight improvement.
“Instead of a threat to native-born workers, immigrant workers bring with them skills and levels of education that are complementary,” said Peri. “Instead of generating more competition across the board, immigrant workers have almost always increased overall economic opportunity for everyone.”
Peri has published prolifically, often in top economics journals. His research is frequently referenced for public policy related to immigration, including in the most recent Economic Report of the President from the Council of Economic Advisors.
In 2019, Peri founded the UC Davis Global Migration Center and continues to serve as its director. The center supports research on global migration with a focus on providing guidance for policy makers. It has become a multidisciplinary and international network of immigration scholars.
The center also provides training and networking opportunities for UC Davis undergraduate and graduate students and even students from other institutions. This summer was the third year of the center’s Summer School on the "Economics of Migration." Funded by the University of California Alianza MX, this program brings together doctoral students in quantitative social sciences enrolled in any North American and Latin American institution for lectures at the frontier of research and provides feedback on their own work.
Expanding research innovation and graduate student support
Peri said that the C. Bryan Cameron Distinguished Chair will increase recognition for his research while also increasing funding for graduate student research. The funding will particularly increase support for innovative projects at their initial stages, when grant funding is most challenging to obtain.
These projects include analyzing how immigrants in the U.S. and Europe affect local economies, what public policies promote the economic integration of immigrants and refugees, as well as how students and skilled immigrants in the U.S. affect established businesses and start-ups.
Graduate student researchers will be central to this work. Peri will also use the funding to encourage undergraduate students in their research. This year, he will establish an award for students who write their honor thesis in the area of international economics.
The C. Bryan Cameron Distinguished Chair will also help support important events to be held at UC Davis over the next year. These include a workshop-conference with young scholars working on the economics of international migration, as well as the UC Davis Economics Ph.D. Alumni Conference, which will gather alumni from the last 30 years. The funding will also help support a regular series of seminars and presentations hosted by the Global Migration Center.
“I am extremely humbled and excited about these new opportunities that will allow me to continue and increase the relevance and visibility of my research and to have more means of supporting the extraordinary graduate and undergraduate UC Davis students, as well as to make UC Davis shine in the field of International Economics,” said Peri.
The C. Bryan Cameron Distinguished Chair in International Economics was established to support the holder’s teaching, research and service in the Department of Economics. It was created by C. Bryan Cameron (B.A., Economics '80), former Director of Research and Senior Vice President at Dodge & Cox Investment Managers, where he worked for almost 40 years. Cameron also established the C. Bryan Cameron Presidential Chair in Neuroscience in the College of Biological Sciences. C. Bryan Cameron Distinguished Chair in International Economics was previously held by Distinguished Professor Emeritus Robert Feenstra.