Greg Mankiw sobre los economistas y la migración

El artículo Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor and Your Economists, Too de Greg Mankiw, publicado en el NYT no tiene desperdicio. Me gusta su explicación sobre el mayor apoyo que los economistas, sin importar sus preferencias políticas, tienden a dar a la inmigración, en comparación a la población general.

Sobre los economistas de derecha:

First, many economists, especially conservative ones, have a libertarian streak. Ever since Adam Smith taught us about the wonders of free markets and the magic of the invisible hand, we have been loath to prohibit mutually advantageous trades between consenting adults. If an American farmer wants to hire a worker to pick fruits and vegetables, the fact that the worker happens to have been born in Mexico does not seem a compelling reason to stop the transaction.

En cuanto a los economistas de izquierda:

Second, many economists, especially liberal ones, have an egalitarian streak. They follow the philosopher John Rawls’s theory of justice in believing that policy should be particularly attuned to its impact on the least fortunate. When thinking about immigration, there is little doubt that the least fortunate, and the ones with the most at stake in the outcome, are the poor workers who yearn to come to the United States to make a better life for themselves and their families.

Por supuesto, Mankiw se refiere al caso estadunidense. Incluso, prácticamente lo mismo se puede decir sobre el apoyo que los economistas en Estados Unidos dan al libre comercio. Me pregunto si el apoyo a la migración y al comercio es el mismo entre los economistas mexicanos.