
Garett Jones is a macroeconomist at George Mason University renowned for his work on the interplay between IQ and national economic outcomes. He is the author of Hive Mind: How Your Nation’s IQ Matters So Much More Than Your Own (Stanford University Press), a book that explores the collective intelligence of societies. Jones combines elements of neoclassical macroeconomics and Chicago-school microeconomics to approach complex economic issues. Known for his interdisciplinary scholarship, he delves into the social sciences and philosophy, challenging conventional wisdom in empirical research.
The preface, for sure, is what I want readers to encounter first. I ask, “What’s the best practical immigration policy for the average middle-income country?” My answer: “Let in just about anyone from China.” I mean, just look around: across Southeast Asia, a good predictor of how rich and market-friendly a country is turns out to be “Percent of Chinese Ancestry.” More poor countries should be more welcoming of large, culturally and economically transformative Chinese immigrant communities. Based on the experience of Southeast Asia, it’s a pretty reliable path to widespread prosperity in the long run.And the preface offers a great illustration of a key message of cultural transplant theory: that well-chosen migration policies can improve a nation’s long-run economic destiny.I’ve written a trilogy now, my Singapore Trilogy. Readers are often persuaded by what I say in all three books—Hive Mind, 10% Less Democracy, and now The Culture Transplant—but they can’t quite bring themselves to say so publicly. I get DMs, or emails, or hear comments at conferences that let me know that readers are persuaded by what I have to say, but they just can’t talk about it in public, can’t teach it in the classroom.I know I won’t win over a lot of public voices—people are understandably risk-averse about speaking up on controversial social science topics—but I do know that I’m routinely winning over people’s private minds. And for me, winning over their private minds is a massive achievement.I hope that The Culture Transplant wins over many more private minds.

Garett Jones The Culture Transplant: How Migrants Make the Economies They Move To a Lot Like the Ones They Left Stanford University Press228 pages, 6 x 9 inches ISBN 9781503632943
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