Faith and Assimilation: Italian Immigrants in the US

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Gagliarducci, Stefano; Tabellini, Marco
• 署名单位: Harvard University; National Bureau of Economic Research; Centre for Economic Policy Research - UK; IZA Institute Labor Economics; University of Rome Tor Vergata
• 刊物名称: ECONOMIC JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0013-0133
• DOI: 10.1093/ej/ueaf010
• 发表日期: 2025
• 页码: 1814-1851
• 关键词: ethnic enclaves; self-selection; culture; migration; ECONOMICS; AGE; CONSEQUENCES; sacrifice; outcomes; religion

摘要

We study the effects of ethnic religious organisations on immigrant assimilation, assembling novel data on Italian Catholic churches across US counties between 1890 and 1920. Exploiting variation in the timing of church entry, we find that Italian churches reduced social and economic assimilation along dimensions that require more inter-group interactions, but had null or positive effects on outcomes for which cross-group coordination is less important. We provide evidence that coordination within the Italian community and natives' backlash are plausible pathways for our results. We also document that churches increased literacy and English-speaking ability of immigrant children.