What do you fear? Anti-immigrant sentiment in Latin America

Meseguer, Covadonga and Kemmerling, Achim (2016) What do you fear? Anti-immigrant sentiment in Latin America. International Migration Review. ISSN 0197-9183

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Abstract

In this article, we study the material determinants of anti-immigrant sentiment in Latin America. Based on new data on immigration to non-Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, we use the workhorse distributive theories that anticipate who wins and who loses from immigration and test their predictive capacity in labor-abundant countries. We exploit the variation in regional immigration rates, in the skill composition of natives versus migrants, and in the relative generosity of Latin American welfare states. We find that fears of labor-market competition are weak predictors of anti-immigrant sentiment. In contrast, fears of greater tax burdens are strong and robust predictors of anti-immigrant sentiment. We conclude that studying Latin American public opinion opens new avenues for theorizing about anti-immigrant sentiment in developing countries.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(IS...
Additional Information:	© 2016 by the Center for Migration Studies
Divisions:	International Relations
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions J Political Science > JV Colonies and colonization. Emigration and immigration. International migration
Date Deposited:	03 May 2016 12:05
Last Modified:	17 Oct 2024 16:03
Funders:	Central European University, Erasmus Mundus Programme (2013)
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/66302

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