The healthy immigrant paradox and health convergence

Amelie Constant

No 2017-044, MERIT Working Papers from United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT)

Abstract: The health status of people is a precious commodity and central to economic, socio-political, and environmental dimensions of any country. Yet it is often the missing statistic in all general statistics, demographics, and presentations about the portrait of immigrants and natives. In this paper we are concerned with international migration and health outcomes in the host countries. Through a general literature review and examination of specific immigration countries, we provide insights into the Healthy Immigrant Paradox and the health assimilation of immigrants as we also elucidate selection and measurement challenges. While health is part of human capital, health assimilation is the mirror image of earnings assimilation. Namely, immigrants arrive with better health compared to natives and their health deteriorates with longer residence in the host country, converging to the health of natives or becoming even worse. A deeper understanding of immigrant health trajectories, and disparities with natives and other immigrants is of great value to societies and policymakers, who can design appropriate policy frameworks that address public health challenges, and prevent the health deterioration of immigrants.

Keywords: Health status; Healthy Immigrant Paradox; International migration; Assimilation; Age-Cohort-Period effects; Selection; Aging (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F22 I10 I12 I14 I18 J11 J14 J15 J24 J61 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017-09-26
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-hea, nep-ltv and nep-mig
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (13)

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Related works:
Journal Article: The Healthy Immigrant Paradox and Health Convergence (2017)
Working Paper: The Healthy Immigrant Paradox and Health Convergence (2017)
Working Paper: The Healthy Immigrant Paradox and Health Convergence (2017)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:unm:unumer:2017044

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