Threat and Assimilation: Evidence from Refugees in Germany (im Erscheinen)

Abstract

"This paper studies the e ects of local threat on the cultural assimilation and economic integration of refugees, exploiting plausibly exogenous variation in their allocation across German regions between 2013 and 2016. We use representative survey data and administrative records to measure cultural preferences as well as employment, earnings, and job characteristics of refugees and German residents, and construct a threat index that integrates contemporaneous and historical variables on xenophobia at the local level. We document that refugees assigned to more hostile regions converge to Germans' stated preferences more rapidly, but do not nd a job more quickly and experience slower earnings growth. We provide evidence that, by heightening threat perceptions, local hostility prompts refugees to adopt German culture more quickly. However, higher discrimination in these regions slows down refugees' successful integration." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku, © Oxford Academic) ((en))

Cite article

Jaschke, P., Sardoschau, S. & Tabellini, M. (2025): Threat and Assimilation: Evidence from Refugees in Germany (im Erscheinen). In: The Economic Journal.