Age at Arrival and Assimilation During the Age of Mass Migration

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Economic History
Year: 2018
Volume: 78
Issue: 3
Pages: 904-937

Authors (2)

Alexander, Rohan (not in RePEc) Ward, Zachary (Baylor University)

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

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.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:cup:jechis:v:78:y:2018:i:03:p:904-937_00
Journal Field
Economic History
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-29