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on Economics of Human Migration |
| By: | Giuliano Guerra (Institute for Economic Research (IRE), University of Lugano, Switzerland); Roberto Patuelli (Institute for Economic Research (IRE), University of Lugano, Switzerland; The Rimini Centre for Economic Analysis (RCEA), Italy); Rico Maggi (Institute for Economic Research (IRE), University of Lugano, Switzerland) |
| Abstract: | Immigrant self-employment rates vary considerably across regions in Switzerland. Business ownership seems to provide an alternative to wage labour, where immigrants have to face structural barriers such as the limited knowledge of the local language, or difficulties in fruitfully making use of their own human capital. Despite the historically high unemployment rates with respect to natives, immigrants in Switzerland are less entrepreneurial. It is therefore important to uncover the determinants that may facilitate the transition from the status of immigrant to the one of economic agent. Among others factors, concentration in ethnic enclaves, as well as accumulated labour market experience and time elapsed since immigration, have been associated to higher business ownership rates. In this paper we use a cross-section of 2,490 Swiss municipalities in order to investigate the role played by the ethnic concentration of immigrants, as well as cultural factors, in determining self-employment rates. |
| Keywords: | self-employment, immigrants, Switzerland, ethnic concentration, cultural identity |
| JEL: | C21 J24 J61 O15 R23 |
| Date: | 2010–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:lug:wpaper:1008&r=mig |
| By: | Spenkuch, Jörg L. |
| Abstract: | Since the 1960s both crime rates and the share of immigrants among the American population have more than doubled. Almost three quarters of Americans believe immigration increases crime, yet existing academic research has shown no such effect. Using panel data on US counties from 1980 to 2000, this paper presents empirical evidence on a systematic and economically meaningful impact of immigration on crime. Consistent with the economic model of crime this effect is strongest for crimes motivated by financial gain, such as motor vehicle theft and robbery. Moreover, the effect is only present for those immigrants most likely to have poor labor market outcomes. Failure to account for the cost of increased crime would overstate the “immigration surplus” substantially, but would most likely not reverse its sign. |
| Keywords: | immigration; crime; social cost of immigration |
| JEL: | K00 J01 J18 |
| Date: | 2010–05–21 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:22864&r=mig |
| By: | Rosenzweig, Mark R. (Yale University) |
| Abstract: | A framework for understanding the determinants in the variation in the pricing of skills across countries and the model underlying the Mincer specification of wages that is used widely to estimate the relationship between schooling and wages are described. A method for identifying skill prices and for testing the Mincer model, using wages and the human capital attributes of workers located around the world, is discussed. A global wage equation that nests the Mincer specification is estimated that provides skill price estimates for 140 countries. The estimates reject the Mincer model. The skill price estimates indicate that variation in skill prices dominates the cross-country variation in schooling levels or rates of return to schooling in accounting for the global inequality in the earnings of workers worldwide. Variation in skill prices and GDP across countries has opposite and significant effects on the number and quality of migrants to the United States. |
| JEL: | J31 J61 |
| Date: | 2010–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ecl:yaleco:77&r=mig |
| By: | Antonio Caparrós Ruiz (Universidad de Málaga); Mª Lucía Navarro Gómez (Universidad de Málaga) |
| Abstract: | La convergencia de los inmigrantes hacia los trabajadores españoles se ha abordado desde diversos puntos de vista en la literatura económica. En este trabajo se desea arrojar evidencia empírica para Andalucía sobre diversos aspectos de interés relacionados con dicho tema. En particular, el principal objetivo es el análisis de los determinantes de la primera ocupación en Andalucía de los trabajadores extranjeros, con el fin de estudiar si transfieren sus conocimientos desde sus países de origen al mercado de trabajo andaluz. Para la realización de este trabajo, se estiman diversos modelos de elección discreta, en base a la Encuesta Nacional de Inmigrantes (INE, 2007). |
| Keywords: | Immigrants, human capital, first occupation |
| JEL: | J15 J41 J44 |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cea:doctra:e2010_09&r=mig |