Ethnic Enclaves and Cultural Assimilation, Submitted 

Using two separate identification strategies: the quasi-random allocation of asylum seekers in the Netherlands and between-siblings variation in neighborhood characteristics, this paper studies if growing-up in an ethnic enclave slows down immigrants’ cultural assimilation. Looking at a culturally charged consumption, the usage of hormonal contraceptives by young immigrant women, and the probability to marry a native, I find that the influence of neighborhood varies with age. While the overall effects of limiting ethnic enclaves during adolescence are not significant, prolonged exposure to natives during childhood, before the age of 10, increases cultural assimilation. 

The Intergenerational (Im)mobility of Immigrants, NEW VERSION COMING SOON

This paper studies the influence of pre-migration social background on the long-term economic assimilation of immigrants. I use unique French survey data to trace family histories over three generations, before and after migration. While many immigrants experience an occupational downgrading at migration, their children benefit from the high socio-economic status their family had in the origin country. As a result, characteristics of immigrant grandparents are more predictive of their grandchildren’s achievements than are characteristics of native grandparents. While immigrants cannot fully transfer their human capital between labor markets, they can transmit it across generations.

The Effect of Exposure to Ethnic Minorities on Ethnic Preferences, with Sabina Albrecht (Queensland), Riccardo Ghidoni (Bologna), Elena Cettolin (Tilburg) and Sigrid Suetens (Tilburg), Revise and Resubmit 

We investigate the effect of exposure to ethnic minorities on the majority’s preferences with regard to that group using individual-level panel data from the Netherlands. The data combine ethnic preferences with administrative data on refugee facilities. The study period is marked by a sudden inflow of refugees in some neighborhoods. We find that individuals living close to refugee facilities developed a more positive attitude toward ethnic minorities and became less inclined to support anti-immigration parties. Preferences of individuals living farther away remained unchanged. An investigation of channels suggests that the local effect is due to contact between residents and refugees.

A Review of the Empirical Literature on the Effect of Ethnic Diversity on Support for Redistribution, with Sigrid Suetens (Tilburg), Revise and Resubmit

Work in Progress:

Cultural Assimilation over the Long-Run: Evidence from Third Generation Immigrants 

Employment Trajectories Following Motherhood: Changes over time in France and Germany, with Andreas Filser (IAB), Corinna Frodermann (IAB), Dana Muller (IAB) and Sander Wagner (Oxford)

Work Flexibility, Parent’s Careers and Children Outcomes, with Michèle Bélot (Cornell) and Arnaud Chevalier (RHUL)  

Immigrants' Presence and Fertility, with Pauline Rossi (Ecole Polytechnique)