selling point for immigrants. When considering where a potential immigrant would go there was always competition - in the late 19th Century European immigrants could choose from the US, Canada (cheaper), Argentina (more expensive, but wealthier - in 1890 Argentina was the wealthiest country per capita in the world), Australia and New Zealand (much more expensive), or Brazil or Cuba (cheaper, but poorer) - among others. In that list, only the US and Argentina were 100% democracies (you could make a case for Commonwealth nations). Today, the US has a lot of competition. Most countries around the world are democracies. Some countries are wealthier than we are per capita, others have advantages that some emigrants will find attractive (universal health care, less imprisonment and crime, a broader safety net). What can the US do to attract more immigrants today?
It is an inescapable truth about economic development that countries with larger populations are stronger than countries with smaller populations, all other things being equal. China, for example, has one thing going for it: a ginormous population. Without it China would be a middle-income country that's sort of important in the world today.
In the 19th Century, when most of the rest of the world was not democratic, the right to vote (for men) was a big selling point for immigrants. When considering where a potential immigrant would go there was always competition - in the late 19th Century European immigrants could choose from the US, Canada (cheaper), Argentina (more expensive, but wealthier - in 1890 Argentina was the wealthiest country per capita in the world), Australia and New Zealand (much more expensive), or Brazil or Cuba (cheaper, but poorer) - among others. In that list, only the US and Argentina were 100% democracies (you could make a case for Commonwealth nations).
Today, the US has a lot of competition. Most countries around the world are democracies. Some countries are wealthier than we are per capita, others have advantages that some emigrants will find attractive (universal health care, less imprisonment and crime, a broader safety net).
What can the US do to attract more immigrants today?
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