No abstract

Research on immigrant economic integration generally focuses on the influence of human capital on later occupational success. This research, however, often ignores other individual-level and contextual-level influences on later attainment and when in settlement they are likely to matter. We therefore create a unique panel dataset that follows a Mexican refugee population from arrival and through settlement in the early twentieth century. This novel data source allows us to examine both individual and contextual characteristics on occupational attainment at different points in time. Our analyses show that individual characteristics beyond human capital measures are likely to matter at first arrival, but their effects attenuate over time. This is especially true for perceived skin complexion, persons travelled with, and age which hold large effects on occupational outcomes at first arrival, but smaller effects after longer settlement. Furthermore, we are able to explore the role context of settlement plays on economic attainment. Consistent with previous research, we find that more favorable contexts are associated with better outcomes than less favorable contexts. This research has implications for the understanding of the adaptation and integration of refugee and immigrant populations by shedding light on what and when different variables influence later attainment.

A large literature has focused on how capital – human, social, and economic – influences immigrant economic attainment. However, few studies have explored how other factors, namely racialization processes, contribute to these within group differences. We examine the role of skin tone as a source of intra-group difference that stratifies outcomes among Mexican immigrants in the early twentieth century. We create a new dataset of Mexican border crossing records between 1910 and 1940 that we then link to the 1940 census. We use at-entry characteristics to predict income in 1940 and find that—in line with dominant assimilation theories—standard measures of capital are associated with within-group differences in attainment. However, we also find that skin tone was a source of within-group stratification: being perceived as having darker skin is associated with lower subsequent economic attainment compared to those with lighter skin. Furthermore, we find that these patterns vary across contexts such that skin tone had a greater effect in Texas, while standard measures of skill had stronger effects in California. Taken together, we argue that while standard measures of assimilation typically predict later outcomes, the stratifying effects of skin tone has been a long-run feature of Mexican immigrant history.

BACKGROUND Reducing domestic violence and increasing contraceptive use are two ways to improve women's health in developing countries. Social scientists debate whether women's experiences of intimate partner violence influence contraceptive use. The empirical evidence evaluating the relationship yields inconsistent results. These contradictory findings might be due to specific regional conditions that moderate the relationship. METHODS Using 30 panels of DHS data from 17 developing countries, this study examines the relationship between intimate partner violence and contraceptive use in a cross-national comparison and assesses whether this relationship is moderated by macro contextual factors, including the presence or absence of legal regulations against domestic violence and the national level of female empowerment.