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What Drives Attitudes toward Immigrants in Sub-Saharan Africa? Evidence from Uganda and Senegal

Author

Listed:
  • Becker, Malte

    (Kiel Institute for the World Economy)

  • Krüger, Finja

    (Kiel Institute for the World Economy)

  • Heidland, Tobias

    (Kiel Institute for the World Economy)

Abstract

We explore whether attitudes toward immigration and their determinants known from well-studied high-income countries also hold in so far understudied low-income settings where the economic, societal, and geopolitical circumstances differ markedly. Using a causal framework based on experimental and survey data in Uganda and Senegal, we extend the literature by introducing a new concept - power concerns - to test whether perceptions of foreign influence in business and politics affect attitudes toward immigrants. Furthermore, we provide evidence of the perceptions of Chinese immigrants in Africa, whose increasing presence is highly controversial and politicized.

Suggested Citation

  • Becker, Malte & Krüger, Finja & Heidland, Tobias, 2024. "What Drives Attitudes toward Immigrants in Sub-Saharan Africa? Evidence from Uganda and Senegal," IZA Discussion Papers 16734, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp16734
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Beber, Bernd & Ebert, Cara & Sievert, Maximiliane, 2024. "Is Intent to Migrate Irregularly Responsive to Recent German Asylum Policy Adjustments?," IZA Discussion Papers 16850, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    attitudes toward immigration; China in Africa; migration; experiment; conjoint;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa

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