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Black Immigrants to the United States: A Comparison with Native Blacks and Other Immigrants

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  • Kristin F. Butcher

    (Princeton University)

Abstract

Immigrant blacks have largely been ignored, both in discussions about racial discrimination and about the assimilation of immigrants. In analyzing immigrant blacks, Sowell (1978) claims to have evidence that it is not discrimination that is responsible for the poor labor market success of native blacks, but rather their "cultural traditions." Using the 1980 Census, I find that while immigrant blacks are more likely to be employed, their wages are not different conditional on employment. To the extent that there are differences, further investigation reveals that it is the selection processes associated with migration, and not cultural traditions which account for the differences between natives and immigrants. Finally, I find that black immigrants do not have similar "assimilation" patterns to white immigrants, and there is evidence that there has been a recent decline in the quality of the immigrant cohorts.

Suggested Citation

  • Kristin F. Butcher, 1990. "Black Immigrants to the United States: A Comparison with Native Blacks and Other Immigrants," Working Papers 648, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section..
    • Handle: RePEc:pri:indrel:268
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    Cited by:

    1. Alexandra Doyle & Amos C Peters & Asha Sundaram, 2014. "Skills mismatch and informal sector participation among educated immigrants: Evidence from South Africa," SALDRU Working Papers 137, Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit, University of Cape Town.
    2. Gil S. Epstein & Erez Siniver, 2012. "Can an ethnic group climb up from the bottom of the ladder?," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 32(3), pages 2414-2441.
    3. Robert J. LaLonde & Robert H. Topel, 1992. "The Assimilation of Immigrants in the U. S. Labor Market," NBER Chapters, in: Immigration and the Work Force: Economic Consequences for the United States and Source Areas, pages 67-92, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Hoyt Bleakley & Aimee Chin, 2010. "Age at Arrival, English Proficiency, and Social Assimilation among US Immigrants," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 2(1), pages 165-192, January.
    5. Silvia Helena Barcellos, 2010. "Legalization and the Economic Status of Immigrants," Working Papers 754, RAND Corporation.
    6. Abdi M. Kusow & Kristine J. Ajrouch & Mamadi Corra, 2018. "Socioeconomic Achievement Among Arab Immigrants in the USA: The Influence of Region of Origin and Gender," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 111-127, February.
    7. Kristin F. Butcher & Anne Morrison Piehl, 2005. "Why are immigrants' incarceration rates so low? evidence on selective immigration, deterrence, and deportation," Working Paper Series WP-05-19, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
    8. Kevin Thomas, 2012. "Migration Processes, Familial Characteristics, and Schooling Dropout Among Black Youths," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 49(2), pages 477-498, May.
    9. Feng Hou & Yuqian Lu, 2017. "International students, immigration and earnings growth: the effect of a pre-immigration host-country university education," IZA Journal of Migration and Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 7(1), pages 1-24, December.
    10. Mason, Patrick, 2009. "Culture matters: America’s African Diaspora and labor market outcomes," MPRA Paper 17497, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Derek Hum & Wayne Simpson, 2002. "Analysis of the Performance of Immigrant Wages Using Panel Data," 10th International Conference on Panel Data, Berlin, July 5-6, 2002 C2-1, International Conferences on Panel Data.
    12. Kristin F. Butcher & Anne Morrison Piehl, 1998. "Recent Immigrants: Unexpected Implications for Crime and Incarceration," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 51(4), pages 654-679, July.
    13. Madeline Zavodny, 2003. "Race, wages, and assimilation among Cuban immigrants," FRB Atlanta Working Paper 2003-10, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
    14. Patrick L. Mason, 2016. "Immigrant assimilation and male labor market inequality," IZA Journal of Migration and Development, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-32, December.
    15. Silvia Helena Barcellos, 2010. "Legalization and the Economic Status of Immigrants," Working Papers WR-754, RAND Corporation.
    16. Tod Hamilton, 2014. "Selection, Language Heritage, and the Earnings Trajectories of Black Immigrants in the United States," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 51(3), pages 975-1002, June.
    17. Matthew A. Painter & Zhenchao Qian, 2016. "Wealth Inequality Among Immigrants: Consistent Racial/Ethnic Inequality in the United States," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 35(2), pages 147-175, April.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    blacks; immigration;

    JEL classification:

    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies
    • H24 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Personal Income and Other Nonbusiness Taxes and Subsidies

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