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Do Ethnic Enclaves Impede Immigrants' Integration?: Evidence from a Quasi-Experimental Social-Interaction Approach

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  • Alexander M. Danzer
  • Firat Yaman

Abstract

It is widely debated whether immigrants who live among co-ethnics are less willing to integrate into the host society. Exploiting the quasi-experimental guest worker placement across German regions during the 1960/70s as well as information on immigrants' inter-ethnic contact networks and social activities, we are able to identify the causal effect of ethnic concentration on social integration. The exogenous placement of immigrants "switches off" observable and unobservable differences in the willingness or ability to integrate which have confounded previous studies. Evidence suggests that the presence of co-ethnics increases migrants' interaction cost with natives and thus reduces the likelihood of integration.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexander M. Danzer & Firat Yaman, 2012. "Do Ethnic Enclaves Impede Immigrants' Integration?: Evidence from a Quasi-Experimental Social-Interaction Approach," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 519, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp519
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Viola Angelini & Laura Casi & Luca Corazzini, 2015. "Life satisfaction of immigrants: does cultural assimilation matter?," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 28(3), pages 817-844, July.
    2. Ruhose, Jens & Schwerdt, Guido, 2016. "Does early educational tracking increase migrant-native achievement gaps? Differences-in-differences evidence across countries," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 134-154.
    3. Augustin de Coulon & Dragos Radu & Max Friedrich Steinhardt, 2016. "Pane e Cioccolata: The Impact of Native Attitudes on Return Migration," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 253-281, May.
    4. Martin Lange & Friedhelm Pfeiffer & Gerard J. den Berg, 2017. "Integrating young male refugees: initial evidence from an inclusive soccer project," Journal for Labour Market Research, Springer;Institute for Employment Research/ Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), vol. 51(1), pages 1-10, December.
    5. Fassio, Claudio & Kalantaryan, Sona & Venturini, Alessandra, 2015. "Human Resources and Innovation: Total Factor Productivity and Foreign Human Capital," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201536, University of Turin.
    6. Constant, Amelie F. & Schüller, Simone & Zimmermann, Klaus F., 2013. "Ethnic Spatial Dispersion and Immigrant Identity," IZA Discussion Papers 7868, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
    7. Bonin, Holger & Rinne, Ulf, 2017. "Report No. 76: Machbarkeitsstudie zur Durchführung einer Evaluation der arbeitsmarktpolitischen Integrationsmaßnahmen für Flüchtlinge," IZA Research Reports 76, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
    8. Strom, Steinar & Venturini, Alessandra & Villosio, Claudia, 2013. "Wage Assimilation: Migrants versus Natives and Foreign Migrants versus Internal Migrants," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201341, University of Turin.
    9. Silke Übelmesser & Severin Weingarten, 2017. "A Macro-level Analysis of Adult-age Language Learning," CESifo Working Paper Series 6511, CESifo Group Munich.
    10. Fassio, Claudio & Kalantaryan, Sona & Venturini, Alessandra, 2015. "Human Resources and Innovation: Total Factor Productivity and Foreign Human Capital," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201536, University of Turin.
    11. Danzer, Alexander M. & Yaman, Firat, 2016. "Ethnic concentration and language fluency of immigrants: Evidence from the guest-worker placement in Germany," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 131(PA), pages 151-165.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    immigrants; integration; enclaves; political participation; culture; social interaction; guest workers;

    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers

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