Do Attitudes Towards Immigrants Matter?

Gisela Waisman () and Birthe Larsen
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Gisela Waisman: Stockholm University Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies - SULCIS, Postal: Stockholm University Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies - SULCIS, Stockholm University, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden

No 2008:5, SULCIS Working Papers from Stockholm University, Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies - SULCIS

Abstract: We exploit the regional variation in negative attitudes towards immigrants to Sweden in order to analyse what are the consequences of such attitudes on immigrants' welfare. A well educated immigrant from a non developed country who lives in a municipality with strong negative attitudes earns less than what she would earn if she lived in a municpality where natives are more positive. IF attitudes changed from the average level to themost positive level,her wage would increase by 12%. This would reduce the wage gap to well-educated immigrants from developed countries by 70%. We interpret this effect as evidence of labour market discrimination. The same reduction in negative attitudes would increase the welfare of immigrants from Africa and Asia, through their wage and local amenities, by an equivalent to one third of their wage. The analogous amount for immigrants from South America and East Europe is one fourth of their wage if they are well educated and one tenth otherwise.

Keywords: wages; attitudes; immigrants; mobility; amenities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J15 J31 J61 J71 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 39 pages
Date: 2008-10-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lab and nep-mig
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (10)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Do attitudes towards immigrants matter? (2007)
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