Economic Contributions of African Immigrants

Minnesota is among the top 10 states in the nation for the number of African immigrants.

African Immigrant buying power in the USA is an estimated 45 billion dollars (in relative terms – will be the 6^th largest African economy). African Immigrant Capital in Minnesota is also significant – for example buying power of the Somalis is an estimated 216 million dollars, Ethiopians 203 million dollars, Nigerians 71 million dollars, Kenyan 167 million dollars, Liberians 142 million dollars and smaller communities like the Cameroonian community have an estimated buying power of 6 million dollars.

African immigrants, as compared to other immigrants, tend to be younger, have higher educational attainment and have a greater participation in the workforce.

This data was released by Dr. Bruce Corrie, Professor of Economics and Director of the Strategic Business Design Institute, Concordia University, at the 4^th Annual Midwest Multicultural Marketing Conference in Saint Paul, MN. For more data on African Immigrant Capital please see http://www.ethnictrends.info/AfricanImmigrantCapital.html

A new study on the economic contributions of African immigrants from Liberia will be released shortly. Contact: corrie@csp.edu Tel: 651 641 8226

Mexican Americans and the Immigration Debate

A new study documenting the economic contributions of Mexican Americans in Minnesota was released on March 3, 2008 at the Minnesota Meeting in Minneapolis.

The study addresses a critical weakness of immigration research and policy that has a very narrow definition of economic contribution with its focus mainly on taxes and government spending.

The study offers a comprehensive picture of the economic contributions of immigrants by focusing on immigrants as consumers, workers, human capital, entrepreneur, tax payers, global capital, cultural capital and political capital. Within this perspective the study finds that Mexican Americans have made very significant economic contribution to the state of Minnesota – much more than has been acknowledged in the policy debate on immigration.

The study also points to a flaw in the existing debate on immigration of not incorporating the realities of our market system into the framing of immigration policy. Further there may be no contingency plans developed at the state or national level to address the impact to the local and national economy if large scale labor shortages occur should we implement proposed immigration policies such as mass deportations. The study can be found at http://www.ethnictrends.info/mexammn.html.