Ethnic social capital: Individual and group level sources and their economic consequences

Consequences of Arizona’s Immigration Policy on Social Capital Among Mexican Mothers With Unauthorized Immigration Status

“…Heightened tension within Latino communities, identified as important conduits for information exchange and a principal source of within-group bonds and trust (Nee & Sanders, 2001; Wilson, 2000, Levanon, 2011), have serious implications for immigrants’ social capital and overall well-being. Thus, the effects of social capital can be both beneficial and detrimental to unauthorized immigrants.…”

“…Thus, the effects of social capital can be both beneficial and detrimental to unauthorized immigrants. While restrictive immigration policies could strengthen bonds through intra-community solidarity and trust, it may also weaken bridging through intercommunity distrust and exclusion from resources (Levanon, 2011; Portes & Rumbaut, 2001). …”

A liability of embeddedness? Ethnic social capital, job search, and earnings penalty among female immigrants

“…A growing number of studies have examined the associations between the amount of individual-level social capital and labor market incorporation, though only a few consider the actual relationship between “how immigrants found jobs” and earnings inequality (Lancee, 2016). A rather substantial literature, mostly based on Western cases, has emerged showing how network-mediated ethnic social capital can influence a variety of economic outcomes – including transition from unemployment to work (Lancee and Hartung, 2012; Livingston, 2006), work status (De Vroome and van Tubergen, 2010; Lancee, 2010), formal sector employment (Aguilera and Massey, 2003), job tenure (Aguilera, 2002), hourly wages, and monthly earnings (Aguilera, 2005; Allen, 2009; Amuedo-Dorantes and Mundra, 2007; Lancee, 2010; Levanon, 2011; Logan et al., 2003; Lu et al., 2013; Xie and Gough, 2011), occupational status (De Vroome and van Tubergen, 2010; Drever and Hoffmeister, 2008; Kanas et al., 2012; Kalter and Kogan, 2014; Lancee, 2012; Sanders et al., 2002; van Tubergen, 2011), ethnic entrepreneurship (Anthias and Cederberg, 2009; Kanas et al., 2009), and enclave-sector employment (Roth et al., 2012).…”

“…In fact, there are clear indications that the use of informal networks can lead to negative economic consequences. For example, according to research based on a nationally representative sample of recent immigrants in the US, using a familial contact in finding a job is associated with an earnings disadvantage (Levanon, 2011). A study based on another sample of foreign-born workers in the US (New Immigrant Survey, 2003) further illustrates that relying on a close contact during the job search has a detrimental effect on income and occupational prestige, especially for Asians (Tegegne, 2015).…”

“…Past studies, however, have not adequately conceptualized ethnic social capital at a supra-individual level, despite the fact that much of the discussion in the literature focuses on the role of co-ethnic groups and communities in assisting individual members (Alba and Nee, 2003; Nee and Sanders, 2001; Portes and Sensenbrenner, 1993; Roth et al., 2012). Methodologically, while it has been recognized that labor market consequences of immigrant networks are contingent upon contextual factors (Kalter and Kogan, 2014), multilevel analytic approaches have rarely been utilized (as an exception, see Levanon, 2011). This is one of the few studies based on hierarchical linear modeling to investigate the complex interplay between informal search, individual- and aggregate-level ethnic social capital, and labor market outcome in the context of Korea’s burgeoning immigrant population.…”