The economic determinants of ethnic assimilation

Abstract

A human capital model is developed that distinguishes between ethnic-specific skills (applicable only to a specific indigenous or immigrant group) and shared or general skills. An important determinant of assimilation is the extent to which these two forms of human capital are complements, thus promoting both assimilation and ethnic persistence, or anti-complements, promoting either assimilation or ethnic retention but not both. Implications of the model are developed for various applications including intermarriage, the effects of group size, language and religion as a basis for ethnic mergers, and the transfer society as a potential barrier to assimilation. JEL Classifications -J11, J15, J24, Z13

Parental ethnic identity and educational attainment of second-generation immigrants

“…Second, I use the model of intergenerational cultural transmission by Bisin and Verdier (2001) in order to explain how ethnic identity not only has an impact on an individual's economic outcomes, but also translates into consequences for the next generation. And third, the model of ethnic group membership developed by Chiswick (2009) contributes to the understanding of the consequences resulting from parental investments according to ethnic identity.…”

“…But whether a strong parental minority identity represents a negative externality on investments in host country specific or other general skills, and therefore constitutes a barrier to educational attainment, is theoretically not a priori clear. The model of ethnic identity developed by Chiswick (2009) illustrates the relationship between ethnic identity and the accumulation of human capital. In her model, Chiswick (2009) distinguishes two types of human capital: Ethnicspecific human capital, the skills and experiences that are useful only within the specific ethnic group, and shared human capital, the skills and experiences that raise productivity in the general labor market.…”

“…The model of ethnic identity developed by Chiswick (2009) illustrates the relationship between ethnic identity and the accumulation of human capital. In her model, Chiswick (2009) distinguishes two types of human capital: Ethnicspecific human capital, the skills and experiences that are useful only within the specific ethnic group, and shared human capital, the skills and experiences that raise productivity in the general labor market. The model suggests that the acquisition of ethnic-specific human capital is per se neither undesirable nor a barrier to the accumulation of shared human capital.…”

“…Associations between parental ethnic identity and educational attainment may vary across different ethnic groups stemming from diverse countries of origin due to heterogeneity in cultural background, especially in view of the potential importance of the cultural distance or tension between majority and specific ethnic culture (Chiswick, 2009). Although the main estimations in Table 4 control for country of origin, separate estimations by ethnic group might then be a favorable option.…”

Ethnic Goods and Immigrant Assimilation

“…Our paper is indebted to Chiswick (2009) and Chiswick and Miller (2005). Our papers distinction between two types of ethnic groups is similar to the distinction of investments and activities that are 'complements' or 'anti-complement's for ethnic goods and activities emphasized in the research of Carmel Chiswick on the economics of ethnic assimilation (Chiswick, 2009).…”