The Impact of Immigrant Diversity on Wages. The Spanish Experience

María Delgado Gómez-Flors and Maite Alguacil
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María Delgado Gómez-Flors: Department of Economics and Institute of International Economics, Campus Riu Sec, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellon, Spain
Maite Alguacil: Department of Economics and Institute of International Economics, Campus Riu Sec, Universitat Jaume I, 12071 Castellon, Spain

Sustainability, 2018, vol. 10, issue 9, 1-29

Abstract: The massive waves of migration that have emerged as part of the recent globalization process have attracted increasing attention in the field of economic geography. Traditionally, empirical research on this issue has focused on the possible substitution effect between native and foreign workers in the labour market. However, this evaluation omits the potential positive spillovers derived from a greater cultural diversity related to immigration. The aim of this work is to fill this gap by analysing the impact that immigrant diversity has on wages in Spain. To do so, we built three different indexes that measure cultural diversity across the Spanish regions. We control for the problem of potential simultaneity between migration and wages using instrumental variable techniques. We also consider the role of the increasing entry of foreigners coming from developed economies and other local factors. The results confirm that a greater diversity of immigrants’ birthplaces is associated with higher wages for both natives and the total population. Moreover, our findings reveal the importance of skilled labour (national or foreign), to encourage workers’ productivity and to ensure sustainable economic development.

Keywords: globalization; migration diversity; regional development; wages; Spain (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

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