Age at Arrival and Assimilation During the Age of Mass Migration

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Australian National University; Baylor University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC HISTORY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-0507
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022050718000335
• 发表日期: 2018
• 页码: 904-937
• 关键词: self-selection; immigrant assimilation; economic outcomes; great migration; us immigrants; UNITED-STATES; earnings; childhood; CHILDREN; AMERICANIZATION

摘要

We estimate the effect of age at arrival for immigrant outcomes with a new dataset of arrivals linked to the 1940 U.S. Census. Using within-family variation, we find that arriving at an older age, or having more childhood exposure to the European environment, led to a more negative wage gap relative to the native born. Infant arrivals had a positive wage gap relative to natives, in contrast to a negative gap for teenage arrivals. Therefore, a key determinant of immigrant outcomes during the Age of Mass Migration was the country of residence during critical periods of childhood development.