More immigration reduces the consent to the redistribution

the Migration that is threatened in the European countries the welfare state. According to a study by the Economists Alberto Alesina, Elie Murard, and Hillel Rapoport. Especially belongs to the elite American University, Harvard teaching Alesina to the Stars of the science. Rapoport teaches at the Paris School of Economics, Murard is employed by the Germany-based Institute of Labour Economics.

The economists have evaluated for their study, data from 16 Western European countries – including Switzerland. In the process, they have examined two types of data: First, such surveys to the settings in the respective country Born, among other things, to Migration in different years. This data is compared in a second step, with such to the actual migration.

The Economists were able to show that the willingness of the people to a redistribution goes back all the stronger, the more the proportion of immigrants in a Region increases. Not only the current but also the past, immigration plays a role. Most clearly, it shows that where the welfare state is particularly strong: in regions of Scandinavian countries and in France.

Multiple regions within a country

The focus of the surveys was not on individual countries but on a total of 140 regions Switzerland is divided for example into five regions. The higher the proportion of immigrants in a Region is, the higher the Born in the country consider him also for the country as a whole.

The division into regions was one of many measures to be able to a clear connection between cause and effect filters. Because if, for example, a country with a less generous social benefits also lists less immigration, has to do with the setting of country-born people may be less than with a smaller suction effect. Considering, however, regions within a country, the respective shares of immigrants is hardly different welfare state arrangements, since these are country-wide.

most immigrants in Switzerland

A detailed analysis of the data for individual countries and regions is not found in the study. This is also not apparent how strong the effect in Switzerland compared to other countries. From the data obtained, but that the share of immigrants on the total population in Switzerland was considerably higher than in all other countries, that the willingness to redistribute in the year 2002 was lower than in most of the countries examined, but higher than in Germany, and that the readiness to the beginning of the decade has diminished considerably – to recent something to rise.

the Economists have also Examined the factors affecting the willingness to a redistribution affect. For example, the origin of the migrants: the Case of immigrants from similar cultures and a similar ethnological Background, the willingness is less negative, as those with good education and professional skills. In the case of immigrants, the Middle East and North Africa will be reduced to below a third.

Negative information about the immigration caught on particularly well.

The willingness to redistribute in connection with the Migration pushes in addition, at least in the case of the less Educated, but also in the middle and upper classes to resistance. Significantly, and expected the result in terms of political orientation is: Who classifies himself clear on the left, or the will not change their willingness, even at an increase in Immigration. Conversely, for those who assess in the middle and to the right of it.

The authors conclude that the Left has, therefore, difficult to win majorities at the same time for a further immigration as well as the Expansion of the welfare state. Parties seeking a reduction of the redistribution, in turn, can lead with good chances of success of the Migration into the field. And Anti-immigration parties would have an incentive to exaggerate negative information about the migration, because this would particularly rods well.

As the breaking of a social contract

the results of the study can be seen in all regions examined, and previous studies also in other countries to the same conclusion, that shows the connection between immigration and the welfare state is widespread. The authors cite previous studies from the USA show that the lower Development of the welfare state can be explained by the considerably larger Differences within the structure of the population in terms of ethnic origin, Religion and culture.

have shown, As other Economists and historians, are sprung the present-day welfare States and redistributive systems in Western countries, as institutions, mutual obligations and rights, as well as hedges and grown. The Opening of these systems, for outsiders, especially for such a completely different ethnicities and cultures – is seen by many as a breach of a kind of implicit social contract.

Here you will find a summary and further conclusions to the study.

(editing Tamedia)

Created: 22.04.2019, 14:48 PM