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Long live the American dream: Self-selection and inequality-persistence among American immigrants

Author

Listed:
  • Joakim Ruist

    (University of Gothenburg)

Abstract

This paper aims to explain the slow economic convergence between groups of different ancestries in the US, i.e. why these groups experience even less intergenerational mobility than individuals in the same country. It shows how excessively persistent inequality may be a long-lasting outcome of ancestors’ self-selection into migration, and need not involve e.g. ethnicity-based behaviors. A testable implication is that the correlation between home country characteristics that influence self- election, and migrants’ and their descendants’ outcomes should increase generation by generation. Verifying this, their ancestors’ migration distance has risen to explain around half the inequality between fourth-generation immigrant groups today.

Suggested Citation

  • Joakim Ruist, 2017. "Long live the American dream: Self-selection and inequality-persistence among American immigrants," RF Berlin - CReAM Discussion Paper Series 1714, Rockwool Foundation Berlin (RF Berlin) - Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration (CReAM).
    • Handle: RePEc:crm:wpaper:1714
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    migration; selection; intergenerational mobility; ancestry; immigrant integration;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • I24 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Education and Inequality
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion

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