The 'Negative' Assimilation of Immigrants: A Special Case

41 Pages Posted: 7 Jul 2008

See all articles by Barry R. Chiswick

Barry R. Chiswick

University of Illinois at Chicago; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Paul W. Miller

Curtin University of Technology - School of Economics and Finance; IZA Institute of Labor Economics; Curtin University - Centre for Research in Applied Economics

Abstract

Research on the economic or labor market assimilation of immigrants has to date focused on the degree of improvement in their economic status with duration in the destination. This pattern has been found for all the immigrant receiving countries, time periods and data sets that have been studied. The theoretical underpinning for this finding is the international transferability of skills. This paper addresses whether positive assimilation will be found if skills are very highly transferable internationally. It outlines the conditions for "negative" assimilation in the context of the traditional immigration assimilation model, and examines the empirical relevance of the hypothesis using data on immigrants from the English-speaking developed countries (i.e., the UK, Ireland, Canada and Australia/New Zealand) to the United States. Comparisons with the native born are also presented to test whether the findings are sensitive to immigrant cohort quality effects. Even after controlling for cohort effects, "negative" assimilation (a decline in earnings with duration) is found for immigrants in the US from the English-speaking developed countries.

Keywords: immigrants, earnings, assimilation

JEL Classification: J61, J31, F22

Suggested Citation

Chiswick, Barry R. and Miller, Paul W. and Miller, Paul W., The 'Negative' Assimilation of Immigrants: A Special Case. IZA Discussion Paper No. 3563, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1155837 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1155837

Barry R. Chiswick (Contact Author)

University of Illinois at Chicago ( email )

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312-996-2683 (Phone)
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IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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Germany

Paul W. Miller

Curtin University of Technology - School of Economics and Finance ( email )

GPO Box U1987
Perth WA 6845
Australia

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Curtin University - Centre for Research in Applied Economics ( email )

GPO Box U1987
Perth, Western Australia 6845
Australia

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