Institutions,culture and migrants’ preference for state-provided welfare. Longitudinal evidence from Germany

Abstract

Using the difference-in-differences estimator and data provided by the German Socio-Economic Panel, this article explores migrants’ preferences for state-provided welfare. The study finds evidence that over time, the preferences of immigrants and natives become more similar. We interpret this finding as evidence that the culture of home countries does not have a time-invariant effect, and that immigrants’ welfare preferences are subject to a socializing effect of the host countries’ welfare regime.

Keywords

Culture institutions welfare attitudes migrants difference-in-differences German socio-economic panel Germany

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Alesina

Ferrara

E.L.

(2005) ‘Preferences for Redistribution in the Land of Opportunities’, Journal of Public Economics 89(5): 897–931.

Alesina

Fuchs-Schündeln

(2007) ‘Good-bye Lenin (or Not?): The Effect of Communism on People’s Preferences’, American Economic Review 97: 1507–28.

Alesina

Giuliano

(December, 2013) ‘Culture and Institutions’, NBER Working Paper Series No. w19750. Cambridge: National Bureau of Economic Research. http://www.nber.org/papers/w19750

Alesina

Glaeser

E.L.

(2004) Fighting Poverty in the US and Europe: A World of Difference. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Alesina

Glaeser

Sacerdote

(2001) ‘Why Doesn’t the United States Have a European-style Welfare State?’, Brookings Papers on Economic Activity 2(2001): 187–277. https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/12502088/1209137.pdf?sequence=2

Andreß

H.J.

Heien

(2001) ‘Four Worlds of Welfare State Attitudes? A Comparison of Germany, Norway and the United States’, European Sociological Review 17(4): 337–56.

Arts

Gelissen

(2001) ‘Welfare States, Solidarity and Justice Principles: Does the Type Really Matter?’ Acta Sociologica 44(4): 283–99.

Arts

W.A.

Gelissen

(2002) ‘Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism or More? A State-of-the-art Report’, Journal of European Social Policy 12(2): 137–58.

Barrett

McCarthy

(2008) ‘Immigrants and Welfare Programmes: Exploring the Interactions between Immigrant Characteristics, Immigrant Welfare Dependence, and Welfare Policy’, Oxford Review of Economic Policy 24(3): 542–59.

10.

Barry

(1999) Welfare. Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press.

11.

Berigan

Irwin

(2011) ‘Culture, Cooperation, and the General Welfare’, Social Psychology Quarterly 74(4): 341–60.

12.

Berry

(1997) ‘Immigration, Acculturation, and Adaptation’, Applied Psychology: An International Review 46(1): 5–68.

13.

Boeri

Hanson

G.H.

McCormick

(2002) Immigration Policy and the Welfare System: A Report for the Fondazione Rodolfo Debenedetti. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

14.

Bonin

Constant

Tatsiramos

Zimmermann

K.F.

(2009) ‘Native–Migrant Differences in Risk Attitudes’, Applied Economics Letters 16(15): 1581–6.

15.

Borjas

G.J.

(1999) ‘Immigration and Welfare Magnets’, Journal of Labor Economics 17(4): 607–37.

16.

Brady

Finnigan

(2014) ‘Does Immigration Undermine Public Support for Social Policy?’ American Sociological Review 79(1): 17–42.

17.

Breznau

(2013) The Relationship of Public Opinion and Social Welfare Spending in Advanced Democracies. Bremen: University of Bremen.

18.

Brooks

Manza

(2006) ‘Why Do Welfare States Persist?’ Journal of Politics 68(4): 816–27.

19.

Brueckner

J.K.

(2000) ‘Welfare Reform and the Race to the Bottom: Theory and Evidence’, Southern Economic Journal 66(3): 505–25.

20.

Careja

Emmenegger

Kvist

(2015) ‘An American Dilemma in Europe? Welfare Reform and Immigration’, in Kettunen

Michel

Petersen

(eds) Race, Ethnicity, and Welfare States: An American Dilemma? Cheltenham: Edward Elgar. 128–149.

21.

Castronova

E.J.

Kayser

Frick

J.R.

Wagner

G.G.

(2001) ‘Immigrants, Natives and Social Assistance: Comparable Take-up under Comparable Circumstances’, International Migration Review 35(3): 726–48.

22.

Chiswick

B.R.

(1999) ‘Are Immigrants Favorably Self-Selected?’ American Economic Review 89(2): 181–5.

23.

Clasen

Van Oorschot

(2002) ‘Changing Principles in European Social Security’, European Journal of Social Security 4(2): 89–115.

24.

Crepaz

(2006) ‘“If You Are My Brother, I May Give You a Dime!” Public Opinion on Multiculturalism, Trust, and the Welfare State’. In Banting

Kymlicka

(eds) From Multiculturalism and the Welfare State: Recognition and Redistribution in Contemporary Democracies (pp. 92–120). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

25.

Dancygier

Saunders

E.N.

(2006) ‘A New Electorate? Comparing Preferences and Partisanship between Immigrants and Natives’, American Journal of Political Science 50(4): 962–81.

26.

DeStatis (2014) ‘8.2 Million Foreigners in Germany at the End of 2014’, available at www.destatis.de/EN/FactsFigures/SocietyState/Population/MigrationIntegration/ForeignPopulation/Current.html.

27.

Dinesen

P.T.

(2013) ‘Where You Come from or Where You Live? Examining the Cultural and Institutional Explanation of Generalized Trust Using Migration as a Natural Experiment’, European Sociological Review 29(1): 114–28.

28.

Ehrmann

Tzamourani

(2012) ‘Memories of High Inflation’, European Journal of Political Economy 28(2): 174–91.

29.

Emmenegger

Careja

(2012) ‘From Dilemma to Dualization: Social and Migration Policies in the Reluctant Countries of Immigration’, in Emmenegger

äusermann

S.H.

Palier

Seeleib-Kaiser

(eds) The Age of Dualization: Structures, Policies, Politics, and Divided Outcomes (pp. 124–148). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

30.

Esping-Andersen

(1990) The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism. Cambridge: Polity Press.

31.

European Citizen Action Service (ECAS) (2014) Fiscal Impact of EU Migrants in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. Brussels: ECAS.

32.

European Social Survey (ESS) (2008) Data File Edition 4.0. Norwegian Social Science Data Services, Norway – Data Archive and Distributor of ESS Data (Round 4 Data). London: ESS.

33.

Gal

(2010) ‘Is There an Extended Family of Mediterranean Welfare States?’ Journal of European Social Policy 20(4): 283–300.

34.

Gilens

(1999) Why Americans Hate Welfare: Race, Media, and the Politics of Antipoverty Policy. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

35.

Giuliano

Spilimbergo

(September, 2009) ‘Growing up in a Recession: Beliefs and the Macroeconomy’, NBER Working Paper 15321. New York: National Bureau of Economic Research. http://www.nber.org/papers/w15321

36.

Grütjen

(2008) ‘The Turkish Welfare Regime: An Example of the Southern European Model? The Role of the State, Market and Family in Welfare Provision’, Turkish Policy Quarterly 7(1): 111–29.

37.

Guiso

Sapienza

Zingales

(2006) ‘Does Culture Affect Economic Outcomes?’ Journal of Economic Perspectives 20(2): 23–48.

38.

Heath

A.F.

Rothon

Kilpi

(2008) ‘The Second Generation in Western Europe: Education, Unemployment, and Occupational Attainment’, Annual Review of Sociology 34: 211–35.

39.

Heitmueller

(2005) ‘Unemployment Benefits, Risk Aversion and Migration Incentives’, Journal of Population Economics 18(1): 93–112.

40.

Hofstede

G.H.

(2001) Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations across Nations. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

41.

Homans

G.C.

(1974) Social Behavior: Its Elementary Forms. New York: Harcourt.

42.

Bentler

P.M.

(1998) ‘Fit Indices in Covariance Structure Modeling: Sensitivity to Underparameterized Model Misspecification’, Psychological Methods 3(4): 424–53.

43.

Joppke

(2007) ‘Transformation of Immigrant Integration: Civic Integration and Antidiscrimination in the Netherlands, France, and Germany’, World Politics 59(2): 243–73.

44.

Karidis

Quinn

M.A.

(2006) ‘Fiscal Harmonization and Migration in the European Union’, Brussels Economic Review – Cahiers Economiques de Bruxelles 49(4): 333–52.

45.

Kluegel

J.R.

Smith

E.R.

(1986) Beliefs about Inequality: Americans’ Views of What Is and What Ought to Be. New York: Walter de Gruyter.

46.

Kurekova

(2013) ‘Welfare Systems as Emigration Factor: Evidence from the New Accession States’, Journal of Common Market Studies 51(4): 721–39.

47.

Larsen

C.A.

(2006) The Institutional Logic of Welfare State Attitudes: How Welfare Regimes Influence Public Support. Aldershot: Ashgate.

48.

Larsen

C.A.

(2008) ‘The Institutional Logic of Welfare Attitudes: How Welfare Regimes Influence Public Support’, Comparative Political Studies 41(2): 145–86.

49.

Luttmer

E.F.P.

Singhal

(2011) ‘Culture, Context, and the Taste for Redistribution’, American Economic Journal-Economic Policy 3(1): 157–79.

50.

Malmendier

Nagel

(2011) ‘Depression Babies: Do Macroeconomic Experiences Affect Risk Taking?’ Quarterly Journal of Economics 126(1): 373–416.

51.

Mau

(2004) ‘Welfare Regimes and the Norms of Social Exchange’, Current Sociology 52(1): 53–74.

52.

Morissens

Sainsbury

(2005) ‘Migrants’ Social Rights, Ethnicity and Welfare Regimes’, Journal of Social Policy 34(4): 356–80.

53.

Muenz

Fassmann

(2004) Migrants in Europe and Their Economic Position: Evidence from the European Labour Force Survey and from Other Sources: EC, DG Employment and Social Affairs. Hamburg: Hamburg Institute of International Economics.

54.

Navas

Rojas

A.J.

Garcia

Pumares

(2007) ‘Acculturation Strategies and Attitudes According to the Relative Acculturation Extended Model (RAEM): The Perspectives of Natives versus Immigrants’, International Journal of Intercultural Relations 31(1): 67–86.

55.

Neundorf

Soroka

(2012) ‘The Origins of Redistributive Policy Preferences: Disentangling the Effect of Past and Present Economic Conditions’ (unpublished manuscript), available at http://www.aneundorf.eu/AnjaNeundorf/Publications_files/NeundorfSoroko_The%20origins%20of%20redistributive%20policy%20preferences_Nov7.pdf.

56.

Pinch

(1997) World of Welfare. New York: Routledge.

57.

Reeskens

Van Oorschot

(2015) ‘Immigrants’ Attitudes towards Welfare Redistribution. An Exploration of Role of Government Preferences among Immigrants and Natives across 18 European Welfare States’, European Sociological Review. Epub ahead of print 6 February. DOI: 10.1093/esr/jcv003.

58.

Riphahn

R.T.

(2004) ‘Immigrant Participation in Social Assistance Programs: Evidence from German Guestworkers’, available at www.lsw.wiso.uni-erlangen.de/userfiles/team/riphahn/immigrant%20participation.pdf.

59.

Riphahn

R.T.

Sander

Wunder

(2013) ‘The Welfare Use of Immigrants and Natives in Germany: The Case of Turkish Immigrants’, International Journal of Manpower 34(1): 70–82.

60.

Roosma

Gelissen

Van Oorschot

(2013) ‘The Multidimensionality of Welfare State Attitudes: A European Cross-National Study’, Social Indicators Research 113(1): 235–55.

61.

Rothstein

(1998) Just Institutions Matter: The Moral and Political Logic of the Universal Welfare State. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

62.

Sabbagh

Vanhuysse

(2006) ‘Exploring Attitudes towards the Welfare State: Students’ Views in Eight Democracies’, Journal of Social Policy 35(4): 607–26.

63.

Şahin

. (2008) Transformation of the Turkish Welfare Regime: The Role of the Individual Pension System and Its Effect on Women’s Welfare. Ankara: Middle East Technical University.

64.

Schmidt-Catran

A.W.

Spies

D.C.

(2014) ‘Do Parties “Playing the Race Card” Undermine Natives’ Support for Redistribution? Evidence from Europe’, Comparative Political Studies 47(4): 519–49.

65.

Schmidt-Catran

A.W.

Spies

D.C.

(2016) ‘Immigration and Welfare Support in Germany’, American Sociological Review 81(2): 242–61.

66.

Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) (2011) ‘Data for Years 1984–2010’, available at http://www.diw.de/sixcms/detail.php?id=386987.

67.

Steenkamp

Baumgartner

(1998) ‘Assessing Measurement Invariance in Cross-national Consumer Research’, Journal of Consumer Research 25(1): 78–90.

68.

Van Oorschot

. (2006) ‘Making the Difference in Social Europe: Deservingness Perceptions among Citizens of European Welfare States’, Journal of European Social Policy 16(1): 23–42.

69.

Wooldridge

J.M.

(2002) Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.