Why Immigrants Manage to Grab More Social Benefits: Empirical Cross-Country Analysis

CERGE-EI Working Paper No. 263

47 Pages Posted: 9 Dec 2005

See all articles by Lubomira Anastassova

Lubomira Anastassova

Charles University in Prague - CERGE-EI, a joint workplace of Charles University and the Economics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences

Teodora Paligorova

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Date Written: June 2005

Abstract

Using data from the Luxembourg Income Study we analyze state welfare generosity to immigrants and natives in Sweden, Norway, Belgium, Germany and the USA. The distinction between EU and non-EU immigrants proves to be an interesting one. We find a substantial social income gap between non-EU immigrants and natives, while EU immigrants are quite similar to natives. The main reasons for the existence of this social income gap are family wage income, number of children and income earners in the family. While these characteristics explain almost fully the gap in the EU countries, they are of little help in others.

Keywords: Immigration, European Union, social income

JEL Classification: J6, J61

Suggested Citation

Anastassova, Lubomira and Paligorova, Teodora, Why Immigrants Manage to Grab More Social Benefits: Empirical Cross-Country Analysis (June 2005). CERGE-EI Working Paper No. 263, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=868637 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.868637

Lubomira Anastassova (Contact Author)

Charles University in Prague - CERGE-EI, a joint workplace of Charles University and the Economics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences ( email )

Politickych veznu 7
Prague, 111 21
Czech Republic

HOME PAGE: http://www.cerge-ei.cz

Teodora Paligorova

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

20th Street and Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20551
United States

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