Why U.S. Immigration Matters for the Global Advancement of Science

IMF Working Papers, February 19, 2021

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Migrants to the U.S. represent 20-33% of the frontier knowledge producers among Nobel Prize winners and Fields Medalists.
Migrants to the U.S. are up to six times more productive than migrants to other countries, based on novel survey data and hand-curated life-histories of International Math Olympiad (IMO) medalists—even after accounting for talent during one’s teenage years.
Financing costs are a key factor preventing foreign talent from migrating abroad to pursue their dream careers, particularly for talent from developing countries.
Certain “push” incentives that reduce immigration barriers—by addressing financing constraints for top foreign talent—could increase the global scientific output of future cohorts by 42 percent.

Analysis draws on:
- Data on Nobel Prize winners and Fields Medalists to map the global knowledge network and identify frontier producers.
- Novel survey data and hand-curated life-histories of International Math Olympiad (IMO) medalists to measure productivity differences and control for teenage-era talent.
- Productivity regression approaches referenced in the paper (term appears in Keywords).
The paper frames migrants to the U.S. as central nodes in global knowledge production based on these empirical sources.

Financing costs are identified as a primary barrier limiting the migration of high-talent individuals from developing countries to the U.S. and other destinations.
“Push” incentives that address financing constraints are highlighted as mechanisms to reduce effective immigration barriers for top foreign talent.

Implementing policies that reduce financing constraints for top foreign talent could increase global scientific output of future cohorts by 42 percent.

The paper concludes by discussing policy options for the U.S. and the global scientific community focused on reducing immigration barriers and addressing financing constraints for top foreign talent.
Emphasis is placed on interventions that act as “push” incentives to facilitate migration of high-talent individuals and thereby raise global knowledge production.