09.09.2016 • 38/2016
The Perception of Financial Inferiority Nurtures Negative Attitudes Towards Foreigners
When people feel that their own economic status is inferior to the economic status of a relevant peer group, it becomes more likely that they develop negative attitudes towards foreigners. This link was found in a new study of the Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH) – Member of the Leibniz Association. The effect is particularly strong with respect to foreigners from low-wage countries.
Walter Hyll
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Is There Monopsonistic Discrimination against Immigrants?
Boris Hirsch, Elke J. Jahn
ILR Review,
No. 3,
2015
Abstract
The authors investigate immigrants’ and natives’ labor supply to the firm within an estimation approach based on a dynamic monopsony framework. Applying duration models that account for unobserved worker heterogeneity to a large administrative employer–employee data set for Germany, they find that immigrants supply labor less elastically to firms than do natives. Under monopsonistic wage setting, the estimated elasticity differential predicts a 7.7 log points wage penalty for immigrants thereby accounting for the entire unexplained native–immigrant wage differential of 5.8 to 8.2 log points. When further distinguishing immigrant groups differing in their time spent in the German labor market, their immigration cohort, and their age at entry, the authors find that the observed unexplained wage differential is larger for those groups that show a larger elasticity differential relative to natives. These findings not only suggest that search frictions are a likely cause of employers’ more pronounced monopsony power over their immigrant workers but also imply that employers profit from discriminating against immigrants.
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Do Better Pre-migration Skills Accelerate Immigrants' Wage Assimilation?
Boris Hirsch, Elke J. Jahn, Ott Toomet, Daniela Hochfellner
Labour Economics,
2014
Abstract
This paper analyzes wage assimilation of ethnic German immigrants to Germany using unique administrative data that include an administrative estimate of immigrants' expected wage in Germany at the time of migration. We find that a 10% higher wage potential translates into a 1.6% higher wage in Germany when also controlling for educational attainment, thus pointing at partial transferability of pre-migration skills to the host country's labor market. We also document that wage assimilation is significantly accelerated for immigrants with higher wage potentials. Our results are both in line with complementarities between pre-migration skills and host country-specific human capital and a U-shaped pattern of immigrants' job mobility with initial downgrading and subsequent upgrading.
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Determinants of Illegal Mexican Immigration into the US Southern Border States
A. Buehn, Stefan Eichler
Eastern Economic Journal,
No. 4,
2013
Abstract
We model illegal immigration across the US-Mexico border into Arizona, California, and Texas as an unobservable variable applying a Multiple Indicators Multiple Causes model. Using state-level data from 1985 to 2004, we test the incentives and deterrents influencing illegal immigration. Better labor market conditions in a US state and worse in Mexico encourage illegal immigration while more intense border enforcement deters it. Estimating the state-specific inflow of illegal Mexican immigrants we find that the 1994/95 peso crisis in Mexico led to significant increases in illegal immigration. US border enforcement policies in the 1990s provided temporary relief while post-9/11 re-enforcement has reduced illegal immigration.
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Immigration to East Germany: Last chance 2011
Alexander Kubis, Lutz Schneider
Wirtschaft im Wandel,
No. 4,
2010
Abstract
Deutschland – insbesondere Ostdeutschland – erfährt mit der Alterung und Schrumpfung der Bevölkerung eine demographische Konstellation, welche Gesellschaft und Ökonomie vor erhebliche Herausforderungen stellen wird. Eine Option, den demographiebedingten Problemdruck zu senken, stellt die Stimulation von Zu- bzw. Einwanderung dar. Der Beitrag beleuchtet in historischer Betrachtung
zunächst die Geschichte der Außenwanderung Deutschlands im 20. Jahrhundert und kommt zu dem Schluss, dass von echter Einwanderung erst seit den 1950er Jahren mit Blick auf die Zuwanderung von „Gastarbeitern“, welche in der Folge zu Immigranten wurden, in die BRD gesprochen werden kann. Die ostdeutschen Regionen hingegen weisen einen sehr geringen Anteil von Einwanderern auf, da die DDR Zuwanderung in deutlich geringerem Umfang und in der Regel mit nur temporärem Aufenthaltsstatus zuließ. In der gegenwärtigen Situation, da die Zuwanderung nach (Gesamt-)Deutschland ohnehin eher rückläufig ist, spricht die vergleichsweise geringe Einwanderungserfahrung und die damit verbundene
geringe Netzwerkdichte ausländischer Bevölkerungsgruppen in den ostdeutschen Ländern für eher beschränkte Erfolgsaussichten hinsichtlich einer Stimulation
zusätzlicher Zuwanderungspotenziale. Das einzig greifbare Mittel zur Erhöhung der Zuwanderung in die Neuen Länder stellt die Migration aus Mittelosteuropa dar. Die räumliche Nähe zum Herkunftsgebiet könnte bestehende Attraktivitätshemmnisse
der östlichen Bundesländer kompensieren helfen und einen signifikanten Zuwanderungsstrom über die Grenzregionen hinaus in Gang setzen. Indes ist vor zu hohen Erwartungen mit Blick auf die Größenordnung des Zuwanderungsstromes zu warnen. Ein Großteil der migrationsaffinen Bevölkerung
Mittelosteuropas ist im Zuge der rascheren Implementation der Arbeitnehmerfreizügigkeit in anderen EU-Staaten bereits ausgewandert. Die
Anstrengungen müssen nun darauf gerichtet sein, die ab Mai 2011 in den Arbeitsmarkt drängenden Zu- und Einwanderer aus den östlichen Nachbarländern
nicht durch neuerliche Restriktionen abzuschrecken.
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23.04.2010 • 20/2010
Einwanderung nach Ostdeutschland: Neue Chance 2011
In Deutschland – insbesondere in Ostdeutschland – hat sich aufgrund der Alterung und Schrumpfung der Bevölkerung ein erheblicher demographischer Problemdruck aufgebaut. Zuwanderung könnte diesen Druck mindern. Während Westdeutschland zumindest seit der Zuwanderung von „Gastarbeitern“ in den 1950er Jahren eine Geschichte der Immigration aufweisen kann, fehlen in den ostdeutschen Ländern weitgehend solche Einwanderungserfahrungen und auch helfende Netzwerke ausländischer Bevölkerungsgruppen. Dies zeigt eine Studie des Instituts für Wirtschaftsforschung Halle (IWH). Ein Ausweg könnte nach Auffassung der Autoren die Einwanderung aus Mittelosteuropa sein. Die ab Mai 2011 in den Arbeitsmarkt drängenden Zu- und Einwanderer aus den östlichen Nachbarländern sollten daher nicht durch neuerliche Restriktionen abgeschreckt werden.
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Determinants of Female Migration – The Case of German NUTS 3 Regions
Alexander Kubis, Lutz Schneider
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 12,
2007
Abstract
Our study examines the regional patterns and determinants of migration flows of young women. At the NUTS-3 regional level, i.e. the district level (Kreise), the German internal migration flows of the year 2005 are explored. From descriptive statistics it can be seen that peripheral regions in East Germany face the strongest migration deficit with respect to young women, whereas agglomerations in West Germany but also in the East benefit from an intense migration surplus within this group. An econometric analysis of determinants of regional migration flows gives evidence of the importance of labour market, family-related and educational migration motives. Generally speaking, young women tend to choose regions with good income and job opportunities, in addition they seem to be attracted by regions enabling an appropriate balance between family and career. Furthermore the existence of excellent educational facilities is a significant influence for young women’s migration. This educationally motivated type of migration generates a long lasting effect on the regional migration balance, especially when the educational opportunities in the destination region are associated with adequate career perspectives for high qualified female graduates. In view of considerable losses due to migration, the study shows various options for action. An important course of action is to incorporate policy measures improving regional employment and income opportunities. Secondly, extending vocational and academic offers addressed to women seems to be a suitable way to stimulate women’s immigration. Moreover, enhancing the social infrastructure, which contributes to a satisfactory work life balance, might attract young women or at least reduce the number of them leaving a region.
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Where enterprises lead, people follow? Links between migration and FDI in Germany
Claudia M. Buch, J. Kleinert, Farid Toubal
European Economic Review,
No. 8,
2006
Abstract
Standard neoclassical models of economic integration are based on the assumptions that capital and labor are substitutes and that the geography of factor market integration does not matter. Yet, these two assumptions are violated if agglomeration forces among factors from specific source countries are at work. Agglomeration implies that factors behave as complements and that the country of origin matters. This paper analyzes agglomeration between capital and labor empirically. We use state-level German data to answer the question whether and how migration and foreign direct investment (FDI) are linked. Stocks of inward FDI and of immigrants have similar determinants, and the geography of factor market integration matters. There are higher stocks of inward FDI in German states hosting a large foreign population from the same country of origin. This agglomeration effect is confined to higher-income source countries.
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On the employment performance of immigrant workers; An empirical analysis for Switzerland
Stefan M. Golder
IWH Discussion Papers,
No. 74,
1998
Abstract
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