A typical strategy for measuring the returns to international experience--comparing the earnings of returning migrants to comparable non-migrants--has been criticized for not adequately accounting for self-selection. I suggest an alternative, testing whether individuals born beyond US borders, but into US citizenship, earn more in US labor markets relative to counterparts born on US soil. Those born abroad to US citizens did not self-select an international experience. Using the ACS, I find that the US market rewards international experience, especially in occupations that value creativity and innovation. Women, in particular, are handsomely rewarded for international human capital.

Due to inadequate savings and binding borrowing constraints, income volatility can make households in developing countries particularly susceptible to economic hardship. We examine the role of remittances in either alleviating or increasing household income volatility using Mexican household level data over the 2000 through 2008 period. We correct for reverse causality and endogeneity and find that while income smoothing does not appear to be the main motive for sending remittances in a non-negligible share of households, remittances do indeed smooth household income on average. Other variables surrounding income volatility are also considered and evaluated.