Professor Briggs specializes in human resource economics and public policy in the ILR School at Cornell University. Over the years his research has embraced such subjects as minority participation in apprenticeship training; southern rural labor market analysis; direct job creation strategies, Chicano employment issues; and immigration policy and the American labor force. In addition to the extensive publications of his research, he has served as a member of the National Council on Employment Policy as well as on the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public and Private Ventures (Philadelphia) and the Center for Immigration Studies (Washington D.C.). He has also served on the editorial boards of such professional journals as the Industrial and Labor Relations Review, the Journal of Human Resources, The Texas Business Review, and the Journal of Economic Issues.
Articles
The Report of the Commission on Immigration Reform (i.e. the Jordan Commission): A Beacon for Real Immigration Reform, Articles & Chapters (2009)
[Excerpt] The immigration policy of the United States is steeped in legal complexities and is...
Immigration Policy: The Nations Most Fundamental Labor Law, Articles & Chapters (2008)
[Excerpt] Samuel Gompers (1925), founder of the American Federation of Labor and, historically speaking, America's...
Revisiting the Administration of Immigration Policy, Articles & Chapters (2007)
[Excerpt] Discussions of the impact of immigration policy on the population and labor force of...
Immigration Reform: The Key Issue is Enforcement, Articles & Chapters (2007)
[Excerpt] The hemorrhage of illegal immigrants has not only made a mockery of the nation's...
Parting Shots: Immigration, Articles & Chapters (2006)
[Excerpt] Prevailing immigration policy and the toleration of its mass abuse by illegal immigration generates...
Unpublished Papers and Speeches
Reining-in a Rogue Policy: The Imperative of Immigration Reform, CAHRS Working Paper Series (1999)
[Excerpt] It was Napoleon who said “policy is destiny.” There are few better examples of...
U.S. Immigration Policy and the Plight of Its Unskilled Workers, CAHRS Working Paper Series (1999)
[Excerpt] In one of his most memorable public addresses, President John F. Kennedy spoke to...
Public Testimonies
Illegal Immigration: The Impact on Wages and Employment of Black Workers, Briggs Public Testimonies (2008)
[Excerpt] Before addressing the specific issue of illegal immigration and its economic effects on black...
Immigration Policy and Organized Labor: A Never-Ceasing Issue, Briggs Public Testimonies (2007)
[Excerpt] Over its long history, few issues have caused the caused the American labor movement...
Real Immigration Reform: The Path To Credibility, Briggs Public Testimonies (2007)
[Excerpt] For over 40 years, efforts have been made to respond to the unexpected consequences...
Immigration Reform and the U.S. Labor Force: The Questionable "Wisdom" of S.2611, Briggs Public Testimonies (2006)
[Excerpt] Immigration reform is the domestic policy imperative of our time. The revival of the...
Guestworker Programs Lessons from the Past and Warnings for the Future, Briggs Public Testimonies (2004)
Immigration policy is a minefield of controversial issues, and among the most explosive are those...