This book brings together years of careful and insightful scholarship on one of the largest migration episodes for which good data are available: the migration of Jews from the ex-Soviet Union to Israel. I recommend it to anyone interested in the economic assimilation or impact of immigrants.
Jennifer Hunt, Department of Economics, Rutgers University
This book provides a comprehensive and rigorous analysis, conducted over a fifteen year period, of the unanticipated large influx of Russian immigrants to Israel that occurred after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The authors consider both how these immigrants were assimilated into the labor market and the economy-wide adjustments that ensued. The book is a major contribution that is a must-read for both researchers and policy makers.
Kenneth Wolpin, Walter H. and Leonore C. Annenberg Professor in the Social Sciences, University of Pennsylvania
Immigration and Labor Market Mobility in Israel, 1990-2009 constitutes a major contribution to our understanding of the adjustment and impact of immigrants on the destination country. One advantage of this study of Israel is the unique experience of a large (relative to the host economy) exogenous immigration. Another is that it is not on an English-speaking developed economy of overseas settlement, which are the source of so much of the immigration literature. As a result, this book helps put into perspective the research findings on immigration among the English-speaking developed countries.
Barry Chiswick, Chair of the Economics Department, George Washington University
Immigration and Labor Market Mobility in Israel, 1990 to 2009 is a splendid book on an important topic. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union immigrants from its member countries poured into Israel, increasing its population by 20 percent. The book studies their absorption in the Israeli economy and their impact on local workers, using detailed data sets that have been assembled for this purpose. The topic is fascinating and the analysis exemplary both in depth and breadth.
Elhanan Helpman, Galen L. Stone Professor of International Trade, Harvard University
