Policy implication

Restricting international student inflows may reduce long-term social integration and openness, without improving labour outcomes for native students.

The full open-access paper is available here: 
www.ifo.de/en/cesifo/pu...

Effects depend on context

Social-integration gains are largest in:
- Non-STEM fields,
- Larger programs,
- Programs with more gender balance,
- Exposure to international students from culturally proximate European countries.

Competitive and male-dominated environments show weaker effects.

No evidence of negative labor-market effects 

Perhaps most important for current policy debates: increased exposure has precisely estimated zero effects on employment, income, entrepreneurship, and workplace diversity up to 25 years after enrollment.

Effects on attitudes are sizable and comparable to those found in the contact hypothesis literature.

Exposure also makes native students more internationally mobile: they become more likely to emigrate later in life.

Attitudes become more open and international 

Native students exposed to more international peers report:
- Greater satisfaction with learning about other cultures,
- More positive attitudes towards migration and European integration,
- Less agreement with anti-immigration neighborhood sentiments.

Many of these relationships are formed outside the university, indicating genuine preference shifts rather than simple “meeting opportunities.”

Here is what I found:

Social integration increases 

Exposure to international students makes native students:
- More likely to cohabit with a non-native 15 years later,
- More likely to marry a non-native 15 years later.

I study the impact of exposure to international students in the first year of a bachelor’s program in the Netherlands.

I exploit idiosyncratic cohort-to-cohort variation in the share of international students within programs. I use linked admin and survey data on one million students over 30 years.

Not convinced? Here are two other recent prize-winning papers:

“The College Melting Pot: Peers, Culture and Women's Job Search” by @fmeluzzi.bsky.social
“Does the "Melting Pot" Still Melt? Internet and Immigrants' Integration” by Alexander Yarkin

Now you know the formula too. Use it wisely.

#ESPE

Now, here’s a little secret. Do you want to win a best paper award? Just put “Melting Pot” in the title. Totally causal.

A special shout-out to Olivier Marie, Erik Plug, and Dinand Webbink for their encouragement, good vibes throughout the conference, and great dance moves. And a big thank you to the many colleagues at @tinbergeninstitute.bsky.social, University of Amsterdam, @vuamsterdam.bsky.social, and EUR

Huge thanks to the jury, Arnaud Chevalier, Astrid Kunze, and Cheti Nicoletti, not only for selecting my paper, but also for their thoughtful and detailed feedback afterwards. I’m grateful to my advisors, @basvdklaauw.bsky.social and @hesseloosterbeek.bsky.social, for their support.

Huge thanks to the organizers, @woessmann.bsky.social and @caterinapavese.bsky.social, and the whole team at CESifo, for putting together such an inspiring event.

Now that I'm back in the Netherlands, it's time to celebrate this prize from a workshop in Germany with a Belgian beer.