Does Access to Regular Work Affect Immigrants’ Integration Outcomes? Evidence from an Italian Amnesty Program

Simona Fiore, University of Verona
Chiara Pronzato , University of Turin & CCA
Luca Mo Costabella, ASVAPP

Economic inclusion is often seen as a tool for social inclusion and integration of immigrants. In this paper is we estimate the impact of regular work, within one year of arrival in Italy, on the long-term integration of immigrant people, after a period of approximately 10 years. How important is it to guarantee a “sure start” for their integration and, therefore, for the social balance of the society as a whole? To answer this question, we use data from the ISTAT Social Condition and Integration of Foreign Citizens survey, collected in 2011-12, and adopt a local randomization approach to RD analysis, exploiting the 2002 amnesty. We find beneficial effects of early regular work on many indicators of integration, such as trust towards institutions, language proficiency, and local habits.

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 Presented in Session 72. Spatial Segregation and Migrant Populations