Evaluating the effects of legalization on farmworker wages in the crop sector

• Main Author: Hogan, Chellie A
• Other Authors: Brian Williams
• Format: Others
• Language: en
• Published: MSSTATE 2018
• Subjects: Agricultural Economics
• Online Access: http://sun.library.msstate.edu/ETD-db/theses/available/etd-06282018-131827/

<p>Labor intensive sectors such as the specialty crop sector have historically had strong reliance on foreign labor, constituting roughly one-fifth of all U.S. farms while incurring roughly two-thirds of direct-hire expenses. It is estimated that more than half unauthorized of the foreign-born labor force in the specialty crop sector are unauthorized for US employment. Using data from the National Agricultural Workers Survey for 1989-2014, this study uses a treatment effects approach (via propensity score matching and minimum-biased estimation) to evaluate the farm wage implications of legalization of foreign-born specialty crop farm workers nationally, as well as specifically in California. Positive wage effects are estimated in nationally and in California, with higher magnitude effects observed in California.</p>