Bio

Ran Abramitzky is the Stanford Federal Credit Union Professor of Economics and the Senior Associate Dean of the Social Sciences at Stanford University. His research is in economic history and applied microeconomics, with focus on immigration and income inequality. He is a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research and a senior fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. He is the former co-editor of Explorations in Economic History. His awards include the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship, and grants from the National Science Foundation and the Russell Sage Foundation. His first book, The Mystery of the Kibbutz: Egalitarian Principles in a Capitalist World (Princeton University Press, 2018) was awarded by the Economic History Association the Gyorgi Ranki Biennial Prize for an outstanding book on European Economic History. His new book (with Leah Boustan) is Streets of Gold: America's Untold Story of Immigrant Success (PublicAffairs 2022). He has received the Economics Department’s and the Dean’s Awards for Distinguished Teaching. He holds a PhD in economics from Northwestern University.

Academic Appointments

Administrative Appointments

  • The Stanford Federal Credit Union Professor of Economics, Stanford (2022 - Present)
  • Senior Associate Dean of the Social Sciences, Stanford University (2020 - Present)
  • Professor, Stanford (2019 - Present)
  • Senior Fellow, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) (2015 - Present)
  • Vice Chair, Economics Department, Stanford (2014 - 2020)
  • Faculty Senate, Stanford (2014 - 2016)
  • Research Associate, National Bureau ofEconomic Research (NBER) (2013 - Present)
  • Associate Professor, Stanford (2013 - 2019)
  • Stanford Faculty Scholar, Stanford (2013 - 2014)
  • Research Fellow, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (2012 - 2012)
  • Faculty Research Fellow, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) (2011 - 2013)
  • Faculty Fellow, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR) (2007 - 2015)
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, Stanford University (2005 - 2013)
  • Dissertation Fellowship, Crown Family Center for Jewish Studies, Northwestern (2004 - 2005)
  • Teaching Assistant Fellow, Searle Center for Teaching Excellence, Northwestern (2004 - 2005)
  • Dissertation Fellowship, Northwestern University (2003 - 2004)
  • Teaching Assistant, Northwestern University, MMSS program (2003 - 2004)
  • Graduate Research Fellowship, Northwestern University (2003 - 2003)
  • Teaching Assistant, Northwestern University, Department of Economics (2000 - 2003)
  • University Fellowship, Northwestern University (1999 - 2000)
  • Rector's Fellowship, School of Business Administration, Hebrew University (1998 - 1999)
  • Teaching Assistant, Hebrew University, Department of Economics (1997 - 1999)

Honors & Awards

  • NSF, “Colleges and Upward Mobility in the US Over the Last Century,” $500,000, National Science Foundation (2022-2025)
  • RSF, “Colleges and Upward Mobility in the US Over the Last Century,” $166,553, Russell Sage Foundation (2022-2023)
  • Ranki Biennial Prize for the best book in European Economic History in 2018/2019, Economic History Association (2019)
  • RSF, “Cultural Assimilation during the Age of Mass Migration,” $105,000, Russell Sage Foundation (2016–2017)
  • Excellence in Refereeing Award, American Economic Review (2016)
  • Excellence in Refereeing Award, American Economic Review (2013)
  • Dean's Award for Distinguished Teaching, Stanford University (2012)
  • Excellence in Refereeing Award, Quarterly Journal of Economics (2012)
  • NSF grant, “Economic Outcomes and Self-selection in the Age of Mass Migration,” $447,750, National Science Foundation (2010-2013)
  • Economics Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award, Stanford University (2009)
  • NSF Grant, “The Selection and Incentive Effects of Equal-Sharing,” $219,342, National Science Foundation (2007-2010)
  • Alexander Gerschenkron Prize for the best dissertation in economic history, Economiq History Association (2006)
  • Dissertation Award, Economic History Association (2004)
  • Pre-Dissertation Award, Economic History Association (2003)
  • Teaching Assistant Awards, Northwestern University (2003)
  • Teaching Assistant Awards, Northwestern University (2002)
  • Teaching Assistant Awards, Northwestern University (2001)
  • Department of Economics Award, Hebrew University (1998-1999)
  • Dean's List,, Hebrew University (1998)
  • Dean's List, Hebrew University (1997)
  • Program for Outstanding Students, Economics Department, Hebrew University (1996-1999)
  • Dean's List, Hebrew University (1996)

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations

  • Member, Scientific Committee, World Bank and the Center for Global Development, conferences on Migration and Development (2012 - Present)
  • Co-editor, Explorations in Economic History (2015 - 2019)
  • Member, Committee on education in economic history, Economic History Association (2013 - 2016)
  • Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Economic History (2013 - 2017)
  • Co-director, Summer Institute for High School Economics Teachers (2013 - Present)
  • Member, Program Committee, European Economic Association (EEA) annual meetings (2013 - 2013)
  • Member, Program Committee, Economic History Association (EHA)annual meetings (2012 - 2012)
  • Member, Program Committee, World Bank and the Center for Global Development, 5th Int'l Conf. on Migration and Development (2013 - 2013)
  • Economic History Association (EHA) Representative to the Allied Social Science Association (ASSA), Economic History Association (2009 - 2011)
  • Referee, American Economic Review
  • Referee, Quarterly Journal of economics
  • Referee, Econometrica
  • Referee, Journal of Political Economy
  • Referee, Review of Economic Studies
  • Referee, Journal of Economic History
  • Referee, American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
  • Referee, American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics
  • Referee, Review of Economics and Statistics
  • Referee, International Economic Review
  • Referee, Journal of Public Economics
  • Referee, Journal of Labor Economics
  • Referee, Journal of Development Economics
  • Referee, Journal of Human Resources
  • Referee, Economic Journal
  • Referee, Journal of European Economic Association
  • Referee, Games and Economic Behavior
  • Referee, Demography
  • Referee, Journal of Population Economics
  • Referee, Journal of Comparative Economics
  • Referee, Population and Development
  • Referee, Review
  • Referee, Population Research and Policy Review
  • Referee, B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy
  • Referee, Scandinavian Journal of Economics
  • Referee, Economic Development and Cultural Change
  • Referee, Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics
  • Referee, Economic Quarterly [Hebrew}
  • Referee, National Science Foundation
  • Referee, Israel Science Foundation
  • Referee, Falk Institute
  • Job Market Placement Officer, Stanford University (2013 - 2013)
  • Member, Undergraduate Policy Committee, Stanford University (2012 - 2013)
  • Transfer Credit Policy, Stanford University (2012 - 2013)
  • Member, Graduate Admission Committee, Stanford University (2006 - 2007)
  • Member, Junior Recruiting Committee, Stanford University (2005 - 2006)

Professional Education

  • Ph.D., Northwestern University, Economics (2005)
  • M.A., Northwestern University, Economics (2000)
  • B.A, Hebrew University, Israel, Economics and Business (1998)

Contact

  • Academic
    ranabr@stanford.edu
    University - Faculty Department: Economics Position: Professor

Additional Info

  • Mail Code: 6072

Links

2024-25 Courses

Stanford Advisees

All Publications

  • The Effect of Immigration Restrictions on Local Labor Markets: Lessons from the 1920s Border Closures AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-APPLIED ECONOMICS Abramitzky, R., Ager, P., Boustan, L., Cohen, E., Hansen, C. W. 2023; 15 (1): 164-191

    View details for DOI 10.1257/app.20200807

    View details for Web of Science ID 000911311000006

  • Computational analysis of 140 years of US political speeches reveals more positive but increasingly polarized framing of immigration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Card, D., Chang, S., Becker, C., Mendelsohn, J., Voigt, R., Boustan, L., Abramitzky, R., Jurafsky, D. 2022; 119 (31): e2120510119

    Abstract

    We classify and analyze 200,000 US congressional speeches and 5,000 presidential communications related to immigration from 1880 to the present. Despite the salience of antiimmigration rhetoric today, we find that political speech about immigration is now much more positive on average than in the past, with the shift largely taking place between World War II and the passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act in 1965. However, since the late 1970s, political parties have become increasingly polarized in their expressed attitudes toward immigration, such that Republican speeches today are as negative as the average congressional speech was in the 1920s, an era of strict immigration quotas. Using an approach based on contextual embeddings of text, we find that modern Republicans are significantly more likely to use language that is suggestive of metaphors long associated with immigration, such as "animals" and "cargo," and make greater use of frames like "crime" and "legality." The tone of speeches also differs strongly based on which nationalities are mentioned, with a striking similarity between how Mexican immigrants are framed today and how Chinese immigrants were framed during the era of Chinese exclusion in the late 19th century. Overall, despite more favorable attitudes toward immigrants and the formal elimination of race-based restrictions, nationality is still a major factor in how immigrants are spoken of in Congress.

    View details for DOI 10.1073/pnas.2120510119

    View details for PubMedID 35905322

  • Automated Linking of Historical Data JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC LITERATURE Abramitzky, R., Boustan, L., Eriksson, K., Feigenbaum, J., Perez, S. 2021; 59 (3): 865-918

    View details for DOI 10.1257/jel.20201599

    View details for Web of Science ID 000695113700002

  • The long-term spillover effects of changes in the return to schooling & nbsp; JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS Abramitzky, R., Lavy, V., Perez, S. 2021; 196

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2021.104369

    View details for Web of Science ID 000636232300006

  • Intergenerational Mobility of Immigrants in the United States over Two Centuries AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Abramitzky, R., Boustan, L., Jacome, E., Perez, S. 2021; 111 (2): 580–608

    View details for DOI 10.1257/aer.20191586

    View details for Web of Science ID 000614107200006

  • Were Jews in interwar Poland more educated? JOURNAL OF DEMOGRAPHIC ECONOMICS Abramitzky, R., Halaburda, H. 2020; 86 (3): 291–304

    View details for DOI 10.1017/dem.2020.4

    View details for Web of Science ID 000571460900004

  • Discrimination and the Returns to Cultural Assimilation in the Age of Mass Migration Abramitzky, R., Boustan, L., Eriksson, K., Hao, S. AMER ECONOMIC ASSOC. 2020: 340–46

    View details for DOI 10.1257/pandp.20201090

    View details for Web of Science ID 000534590600065

  • Do Immigrants Assimilate More Slowly Today than in the Past? American economic review. Insights Abramitzky, R., Boustan, L., Eriksson, K. 2020; 2 (1): 125–41

    Abstract

    Using millions of historical census records and modern birth certificates, we document that immigrants assimilated into US society at similar rates in the past and present. We measure cultural assimilation as immigrants giving their children less foreign names after spending more time in the United States, and show that immigrants erase about one-half of the naming gap with natives after 20 years both historically and today. Immigrants from poorer countries choose more foreign names upon first arrival in both periods but are among the fastest to shift toward native-sounding names. We find substantial cultural assimilation for immigrants of all education levels.

    View details for DOI 10.1257/aeri.20190079

    View details for PubMedID 32968736

  • To the New World and Back Again: Return Migrants in the Age of Mass Migration ILR REVIEW Abramitzky, R., Boustan, L., Eriksson, K. 2019; 72 (2): 300–322

    View details for DOI 10.1177/0019793917726981

    View details for Web of Science ID 000457055700003

  • TO THE NEW WORLD AND BACK AGAIN: RETURN MIGRANTS IN THE AGE OF MASS MIGRATION. Industrial & labor relations review Abramitzky, R., Boustan, L., Eriksson, K. 2019; 72 (2): 300-322

    Abstract

    The authors compile large data sets from Norwegian and US historical censuses to study return migration during the Age of Mass Migration (1850-1913). Norwegian immigrants who returned to Norway held lower-paid occupations than did Norwegian immigrants who stayed in the United States, both before and after their first transatlantic migration, suggesting they were negatively selected from the migrant pool. Upon returning to Norway, return migrants held higher-paid occupations relative to Norwegians who never moved, despite hailing from poorer backgrounds. These patterns suggest that despite being negatively selected, return migrants had been able to accumulate savings and could improve their economic circumstances once they returned home.

    View details for DOI 10.1177/0019793917726981

    View details for PubMedID 32968324

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC7508455

  • The Mystery of the Kibbutz: Egalitarian Principles in a Capitalist World Abramitzky , R. Princeton University Press. 2018
  • To the New World and Back Again: Return Migrants in the Age of Mass Migration Industrial and Labor Relations Review Abramitzky , R., Boustan, L., Eriksson, K. 2018
  • Immigration in American Economic History JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC LITERATURE Abramitzky, R., Boustan, L. 2017; 55 (4): 1311–45

    Abstract

    The United States has long been perceived as a land of opportunity for immigrants. Yet, both in the past and today, US natives have expressed concern that immigrants fail to integrate into US society and lower wages for existing workers. This paper reviews the literatures on historical and contemporary migrant flows, yielding new insights on migrant selection, assimilation of immigrants into US economy and society, and the effect of immigration on the labor market.

    View details for PubMedID 29398723

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC5794227

  • Economics and the Modern Economic Historian Journal of Economic History Abramitzky , R. 2015; 75:4: 1240-1251
  • BOOK TRANSLATIONS AS IDEA FLOWS: THE EFFECTS OF THE COLLAPSE OF COMMUNISM ON THE DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC ASSOCIATION Abramitzky, R., Sin, I. 2014; 12 (6): 1453-1520

    View details for DOI 10.1111/jeea.12093

    View details for Web of Science ID 000345595500002

  • HOW RESPONSIVE IS INVESTMENT IN SCHOOLING TO CHANGES IN REDISTRIBUTIVE POLICIES AND IN RETURNS? ECONOMETRICA Abramitzky, R., Lavy, V. 2014; 82 (4): 1241-1272

    View details for DOI 10.3982/ECTA10763

    View details for Web of Science ID 000339965100002

  • A Nation of Immigrants: Assimilation and Economic Outcomes in the Age of Mass Migration JOURNAL OF POLITICAL ECONOMY Abramitzky, R., Boustan, L. P., Eriksson, K. 2014; 122 (3): 467-506

    View details for DOI 10.1086/675805

    View details for Web of Science ID 000337737600001

  • A Nation of Immigrants: Assimilation and Economic Outcomes in the Age of Mass Migration. The journal of political economy Abramitzky, R., Boustan, L. P., Eriksson, K. 2014; 122 (3): 467-506

    Abstract

    During the Age of Mass Migration (1850-1913), the United States maintained an open border, absorbing 30 million European immigrants. Prior cross-sectional work finds that immigrants initially held lower-paid occupations than natives but converged over time. In newly assembled panel data, we show that, in fact, the average immigrant did not face a substantial occupation-based earnings penalty upon first arrival and experienced occupational advancement at the same rate as natives. Cross-sectional patterns are driven by biases from declining arrival cohort skill level and departures of negatively selected return migrants. We show that assimilation patterns vary substantially across sending countries and persist in the second generation.

    View details for DOI 10.1086/675805

    View details for PubMedID 26609186

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4655828

  • How Responsive is Investment in Schooling to Changes in Redistribution Policies and in Returns? Econometrica Abramitzky, R., Levy, V. 2014; 82 (4): 1241–1272
  • Have the poor always been less likely to migrate? Evidence from inheritance practices during the age of mass migration JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS Abramitzky, R., Boustan, L. P., Eriksson, K. 2013; 102: 2-14

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2012.08.004

    View details for Web of Science ID 000319480500002

  • Have the poor always been less likely to migrate? Evidence from inheritance practices during the age of mass migration. Journal of development economics Abramitzky, R., Boustan, L. P., Eriksson, K. 2013; 102: 2-14

    Abstract

    Using novel data on 50,000 Norwegian men, we study the effect of wealth on the probability of internal or international migration during the Age of Mass Migration (1850-1913), a time when the US maintained an open border to European immigrants. We do so by exploiting variation in parental wealth and in expected inheritance by birth order, gender composition of siblings, and region. We find that wealth discouraged migration in this era, suggesting that the poor could be more likely to move if migration restrictions were lifted today. We discuss the implications of these historical findings to developing countries.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jdeveco.2012.08.004

    View details for PubMedID 26609192

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4655887

  • ON THE OPTIMALITY OF LINE CALL CHALLENGES IN PROFESSIONAL TENNIS INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC REVIEW Abramitzky, R., Einav, L., Kolkowitz, S., Mill, R. 2012; 53 (3): 939-963

    View details for DOI 10.1111/j.1468-2354.2012.00706.x

    View details for Web of Science ID 000306806800011

  • Europe's Tired, Poor, Huddled Masses: Self-Selection and Economic Outcomes in the Age of Mass Migration. The American economic review Abramitzky, R., Boustan, L. P., Eriksson, K. 2012; 102 (5): 1832-1856

    Abstract

    During the age of mass migration (1850-1913), one of the largest migration episodes in history, the United States maintained a nearly open border, allowing the study of migrant decisions unhindered by entry restrictions. We estimate the return to migration while accounting for migrant selection by comparing Norway-to-US migrants with their brothers who stayed in Norway in the late nineteenth century. We also compare fathers of migrants and nonmigrants by wealth and occupation. We find that the return to migration was relatively low (70 percent) and that migrants from urban areas were negatively selected from the sending population. "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"--Emma Lazarus (1883).

    View details for DOI 10.1257/aer.102.5.1832

    View details for PubMedID 26594052

    View details for PubMedCentralID PMC4651453

  • Europe's Tired, Poor, Huddled Masses: Self-Selection and Economic Outcomes in the Age of Mass Migration AMERICAN ECONOMIC REVIEW Abramitzky, R., Boustan, L. P., Eriksson, K. 2012; 102 (5): 1832-1856

    View details for DOI 10.1257/aer.102.5.1832

    View details for Web of Science ID 000307471600003

  • Marrying Up: The Role of Sex Ratio in Assortative Matching AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-APPLIED ECONOMICS Abramitzky, R., Delavande, A., Vasconcelos, L. 2011; 3 (3): 124-157

    View details for DOI 10.1257/app.3.3.124

    View details for Web of Science ID 000292374300005

  • Lessons from the Kibbutz on the Equality-Incentives Trade-off JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES Abramitzky, R. 2011; 25 (1): 185-207

    View details for DOI 10.1257/jep.25.1.185

    View details for Web of Science ID 000287303900009

  • On the (lack of) Stability of Communes: An Economic Perspective Oxford Handbook of the Economics ofReligion Abramitzky, R. edited by McCleary, R. Oxford University Press. 2011: 169–189
  • Risk, Incentives, and Contracts: Partnerships in Rio de Janeiro, 1870-1891 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC HISTORY Abramitzky, R., Frank, Z., Mahajan, A. 2010; 70 (3): 686-715

    View details for DOI 10.1017/S0022050710000586

    View details for Web of Science ID 000281904500006

  • Is Hanukkah Responsive to Christmas?* ECONOMIC JOURNAL Abramitzky, R., Einav, L., Rigbi, O. 2010; 120 (545): 612-630

    View details for DOI 10.1111/j.1468-0297.2009.02305.x

    View details for Web of Science ID 000278307700002

  • The effect of redistribution on migration: Evidence from the Israeli kibbutz JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS Abramitzky, R. 2009; 93 (3-4): 498-511

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2008.11.005

    View details for Web of Science ID 000264959400011

  • The limits of equality: Insights from the Israeli kibbutz QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS Abramitzky, R. 2008; 123 (3): 1111-1159

    View details for Web of Science ID 000257950000006

  • The limits of equality: Insights from the Israeli Kibbutz Abramitzky, R. CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS. 2007: 527–27

    View details for Web of Science ID 000247150600042

  • Migration and human capital: Self-selection of indentured servants to the Americas JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC HISTORY Abramitzky, R., Braggion, F. 2006; 66 (4): 882-905

    View details for Web of Science ID 000242747800002

  • Vanderbilt Family Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History Abramitzky, R. Oxford University Press. 2004
  • "Du Pont Family", "Kettering Charles", "Lenin Vladimir Ilich", "Lewis John L.", "Malthusian and neo-Malthusian Theories" Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History Abramitzky, R., Braggion, F. Oxford University Press. 2004