IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/glodps/1669.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The impact of citizenship on intermarriage: evidence from Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Balsimelli Ghelli, Bianca
  • Gallo, Giovanni

Abstract

Acquiring citizenship is associated with better economic and social opportunities for immigrants. This paper examines how, in a country with a large fraction of migrants, marriage decisions respond to a change in the legal status of foreign residents. The variation in the relationship between citizenship status and the propensity for mixed marriages could be influenced by the dominance of either the assimilation hypothesis or the status exchange hypothesis. Using individual-level data from the populated municipality of Modena, Emilia- Romagna (Italy), we find that the assimilation hypothesis prevails: the more immigrants integrate into host countries, the more likely they are to marry natives. Specifically, our results show that acquiring citizenship not only increases the likelihood of marriage but also significantly boosts the formation of mixed couples.

Suggested Citation

  • Balsimelli Ghelli, Bianca & Gallo, Giovanni, 2025. "The impact of citizenship on intermarriage: evidence from Italy," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1669, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:glodps:1669
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/326961/1/GLO-DP-1669.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Xin Meng & Dominique Meurs, 2009. "Intermarriage, language, and economic assimilation process," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(1/2), pages 127-144, March.
    2. Klaus F. Zimmermann & Amelie F. Constant & Liliya Gataullina, 2009. "Naturalization proclivities, ethnicity and integration," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(1/2), pages 70-82, March.
    3. Xin Meng & Robert G. Gregory, 2005. "Intermarriage and the Economic Assimilation of Immigrants," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 23(1), pages 135-176, January.
    4. Chiswick, Barry R, 1978. "The Effect of Americanization on the Earnings of Foreign-born Men," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 86(5), pages 897-921, October.
    5. Steinhardt, Max Friedrich, 2012. "Does citizenship matter? The economic impact of naturalizations in Germany," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 813-823.
    6. Denis Fougère & Mirna Safi, 2009. "Naturalization and employment of immigrants in France (1968‐1999)," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(1/2), pages 83-96, March.
    7. Christoph Sajons, 2016. "Does granting citizenship to immigrant children affect family outmigration?," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 29(2), pages 395-420, April.
    8. Giovanni Mastrobuoni & Paolo Pinotti, 2015. "Legal Status and the Criminal Activity of Immigrants," American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, American Economic Association, vol. 7(2), pages 175-206, April.
    9. Delia Furtado & Nikolaos Theodoropoulos, 2011. "Interethnic marriage: a choice between ethnic and educational similarities," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 24(4), pages 1257-1279, October.
    10. Vincent Corluy & Ive Marx & Gerlinde Verbist, 2011. "Employment chances and changes of immigrants in Belgium: the impact of citizenship," Working Papers 1107, Herman Deleeck Centre for Social Policy, University of Antwerp.
    11. Bernt Bratsberg & James F. Ragan & Zafar M. Nasir, 2002. "The Effect of Naturalization on Wage Growth: A Panel Study of Young Male Immigrants," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 20(3), pages 568-597, July.
    12. Xin Meng & Dominique Meurs, 2009. "Intermarriage, language, and economic assimilation process," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(1/2), pages 127-144, March.
    13. Christina Gathmann & Nicolas Keller, 2014. "Returns to Citizenship?: Evidence from Germany's Recent Immigration Reforms," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 656, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    14. Gathmann, Christina & Garbers, Julio, 2023. "Citizenship and integration," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    15. Denis Fougère & Mirna Safi, 2009. "Naturalization and employment of immigrants in France (1968‐1999)," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(1/2), pages 83-96, March.
    16. Engdahl, Mattias, 2014. "Naturalizations and the economic and social integration of immigrants," Working Paper Series 2014:11, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    17. DeVoretz, Don J. & Pivnenko, Sergiy, 2004. "The Economic Causes and Consequences of Canadian Citizenship," IZA Discussion Papers 1395, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Eleonora Mussino & Salvatore Strozza, 2012. "The fertility of immigrants after arrival: The Italian case," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 26(4), pages 99-130.
    19. Klaus F. Zimmermann & Amelie F. Constant & Liliya Gataullina, 2009. "Naturalization proclivities, ethnicity and integration," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(1/2), pages 70-82, March.
    20. Bevelander, Pieter & Veenman, Justus, 2006. "Naturalisation and Socioeconomic Integration: The Case of the Netherlands," IZA Discussion Papers 2153, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    21. Engdahl, Mattias, 2014. "Naturalizations and the economic and social integration of immigrants," Working Paper Series, Center for Labor Studies 2014:6, Uppsala University, Department of Economics.
    22. repec:sae:mrxval:v:42:y:2008:i:4:p:877-902 is not listed on IDEAS
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Davide Azzolini & Raffaele Guetto, 2017. "The impact of citizenship on intermarriage: Quasi-experimental evidence from two European Union Eastern enlargements," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 36(43), pages 1299-1336.
    2. Gathmann, Christina & Garbers, Julio, 2023. "Citizenship and integration," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    3. Adriana Rocío Cardozo Silva & Christopher Prömel, 2025. "Feeling Equal before the Law? The Impact of Access to Citizenship and Legal Status on Perceived Discrimination," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 1223, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    4. Edo Anthony, 2015. "The Impact of Immigration on Native Wages and Employment," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 15(3), pages 1151-1196, July.
    5. Don J. DeVoretz, 2013. "The economics of immigrant citizenship ascension," Chapters, in: Amelie F. Constant & Klaus F. Zimmermann (ed.), International Handbook on the Economics of Migration, chapter 25, pages 470-488, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. Engdahl, Mattias, 2014. "Naturalizations and the economic and social integration of immigrants," Working Paper Series, Center for Labor Studies 2014:6, Uppsala University, Department of Economics.
    7. Engdahl, Mattias, 2014. "Naturalizations and the economic and social integration of immigrants," Working Paper Series 2014:11, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    8. Joachim Jarreau, 2015. "The Impact of Naturalizations on Job Mobility and Wages: Evidence from France," Working Papers halshs-01117449, HAL.
    9. Sajons, Christoph, 2019. "Birthright citizenship and parental labor market integration," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 1-22.
    10. Zenón Jiménez-Ridruejo & Carlos Borondo Arribas, 2011. "Wage Assimilation of Immigrants in Spain," Working Papers 11-02, Asociación Española de Economía y Finanzas Internacionales.
    11. Daniel Crown & Alessandra Faggian, 2019. "Naturalization and the productivity of foreign-born doctorates," Journal of Geographical Systems, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 533-556, December.
    12. Adda Carla Justiniano Medina & Marie Valentova, 2025. "Is There an Employment Advantage for Immigrant Women Who Marry Natives in Italy?," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 41(1), pages 1-43, December.
    13. Jonas Helgertz & Pieter Bevelander & Anna Tegunimataka, 2014. "Naturalization and Earnings: A Denmark–Sweden Comparison," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 30(3), pages 337-359, August.
    14. Litovchenko, A. & Chudinovskikh, O., 2022. "On the impact of acquiring citizenship on some socio-economic characteristics of migrants and their position in the labor market," Journal of the New Economic Association, New Economic Association, vol. 53(1), pages 143-162.
    15. Denis Fougère & Mirna Safi, 2009. "Naturalization and employment of immigrants in France (1968‐1999)," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 30(1/2), pages 83-96, March.
    16. Britta Rude, 2023. "Ending Statelessness for Displaced Children: Impact on Early Childhood Education," ifo Working Paper Series 401, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich.
    17. Ivana Fellini & Raffaele Guetto, 2019. "Legal Status and Immigrants’ Labour Market Outcomes: Comparative Evidence from a Quasi-Experiment in Western and Southern Europe," Econometrics Working Papers Archive 2019_11, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Statistica, Informatica, Applicazioni "G. Parenti".
    18. Aysegul KAYAOGLU & Ayhan KAYA, 2011. "Is National Citizenship Withering Away? : Social Affiliations and Labor Market Integration of Turkish Origin Immigrants in Germany and France," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2011033, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    19. Christina Gathmann & Ole Monscheuer, 2020. "Naturalization and citizenship: Who benefits?," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 125-125, April.
    20. Felfe, Christina & Kocher, Martin G. & Rainer, Helmut & Saurer, Judith & Siedler, Thomas, 2021. "More opportunity, more cooperation? The behavioral effects of birthright citizenship on immigrant youth," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:zbw:glodps:1669. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/glabode.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.