Moroccans' Assimilation in Spain: Family-Based versus Labor-Based Migration

Núria Rodriguez-Planas and Raquel Vegas

No 6368, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: An important immigration policy question is to identify the best criteria to select among potential migrants. At least two methodological problems arise: the host country's immigration policy regime endogeneity, and immigrants' unobserved heterogeneity. To address the first problem, we focus in a country with an unprecedented immigration boom that lets immigrants freely into a country: Spain. To address the second problem, we focus on a large and homogenous group of immigrants: Moroccans. Using the 2007 Encuesta Nacional de Immigración (ENI), we find that, even when focusing on a very homogenous group of migrants (Moroccans) who tend to be low-skilled, and after controlling for migrants' self-selection with employment history prior to and at arrival, family-based immigrants are less likely to work than their labor-based counterparts both at arrival and ten years later. Our Heckman-corrected estimates highlight that there are no monthly earnings differences by reason of arrival, and that failure to correct for labor force participation strongly biases these results.

Keywords: Southern and Eastern Mediterranean men and women; legal and employment assimilation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J15 J24 J61 J62 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 34 pages
Date: 2012-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dem, nep-eur, nep-lab and nep-mig
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published - published in: Middle East Development Journal, 2011, 3 (2), 119-139

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Related works:
Journal Article: Moroccans’ Assimilation in Spain: Family-Based Versus Labor-Based Migration (2011)
Journal Article: MOROCCANS' ASSIMILATION IN SPAIN: FAMILY-BASED VERSUS LABOR-BASED MIGRATION (2011)
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