Migration, Cultural Identity and Diasporas An Identity Economics Approach

Abstract

Besides effects on economic well-being, migration of people with distant cultural backgrounds may also have large effects on people’s cultural identity. In this paper, the identity economics of Akerlof and Kranton (2000) is applied to migration. Accordingly, it is assumed that the utility of both the immigrants and the native population encompasses economic well-being and cultural identity. The migration effect on cultural identity depends, among others, on the distance between cultures. In a simple immigration game it is shown that immigrants may prefer to live rather in diaspora communities than to integrate into the host countries’ culture. This subgame-perfect equilibrium choice of immigrants seems the more likely the greater the cultural distance between their country of origin and the destination country is. Among the available policy instruments, restrictions on the freedom of movement and settlement of immigrants may be the most effective way to prevent the setup of large diaspora communities. For young immigrants and later generations of immigrants, integration via compulsory schooling is the most important policy. In general, cultural, religious and social institutions may support integration.

Young migrants’ views of their present and future in Niamey and Niger

“…there. Note, exploratory is not used here to imply that research has not been conducted in this setting (see for example, Poitou 1981Poitou , 1985. However, Poitou's seminal work addressing Niger's urbanization and juvenile delinquency (1981) and African street squatters (1985) were works both produced in French.…”

A Location Optimization Approach to Refugee Resettlement Decision-Making

“…Contemplating the risks and the negative effects of relocation such as cultural bereavement and problems about mental health [25], [26]; the importance of cultural closeness becomes more apparent. The third objective, shown in Eq.…”

The socio-cultural integration of immigrants in Germany: changes across generations

“…The spatial differentiation of population migration may highlight regional differences in the patterns of settlements of migrants, economic levels and related employment opportunities. Thus, these migration patterns in certain ethnic settlements may affect the labour market opportunities and socio-cultural participation outcomes (Beine et al ., 2011; Prinz, 2019; Smith et al ., 2019). Moreover, the survey employed in the analysis follows individuals over a long period, including those who have abandoned the original households or have created new household samples.…”