An NBER study of a German law that granted automatic citizenship to certain immigrant children (born after Jan 1, 2000) finds those youths were far less likely to commit crimes — roughly a 70% reduction using administrative crime data from three federal states. The reform functions as a natural experiment, implying legal inclusion (citizenship at birth) causally improved measured social outcomes for immigrant youth.
— If robust, this causal link reframes debates over birthright citizenship from symbolic identity questions to concrete public‑safety and fiscal consequences.
David Upham
2026.09.15
70% relevant
Upham’s book explicitly engages the original meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment — the textual and historical interpretation that underpins disputes over birthright citizenship (the citizenship clause). That originalist argument directly affects policy debates and litigation about who is a citizen at birth, which is the same policy domain captured by the existing idea that links birthright citizenship rules to social outcomes and political consequences.
Tyler Cowen
2026.04.18
100% relevant
NBER working paper by Andres, Bauernschuster, Dahl, Rainer & Schüller; German reform Jan 1, 2000; administrative crime data; ~70% estimated crime reduction.
← Back to all ideas