Immigration

WP 78/3 pp. 602-641 2026-07-01 Original South-South Immigration and Redistribution Preferences: Evidence from Colombia Josep Serrano-Serrat, Ignacio Jurado Abstract abstract: Research on the effects of immigration on redistribution preferences mostly focuses on Western countries and neglects the Global South. The authors argue that immigration shocks may have different effects in South-South migration than they do in South-North contexts. On one hand, the effects should be more muted in the former due to minimal cultural differences and limited development of the welfare state. On the other hand, the impact might be larger due to high economic inequality and scarce resources. To investigate these differences, the authors follow a two-fold strategy. First, they exploit the 2015 Venezuelan immigration shock in Colombia using a difference-in-differences strategy, complemented by an instrumental variable. The authors find null-to-positive effects. Second, a survey experiment reveals that priming citizens on immigration has positive effects on citizens’ social spending preferences. The authors attribute this effect to deservingness considerations. These results challenge some prevailing theories and sug-gest that increased immigration does not necessarily reduce redistribution preferences in South-South contexts.

JOP 88/3 pp. 1011-1026 2026-07-01 Original Immigration, Public Housing, and Support for the French National Front Gloria Gennaro Abstract In Europe, urban peripheries that host public housing estates are often inhab-ited by a diverse population, including many migrants. In those places, far-rightparties enjoy growing electoral support. This paper asks: Can expansionary publichousing policies boost the electoral support of far-right parties in diverse communi-ties? I exploit the staggered roll-out of a French public housing policy to show thatresidents of municipalities with large pre-policy immigration shares vote more forthe National Front in response to public housing expansion. The opposite happensin municipalities with low pre-policy exposure to immigration. The paper investi-gates three potential mechanisms: compositional changes, material grievances, andlatent group conflict. Separate empirical analyses of sociodemographic, housing,and newspaper data suggest that the third mechanism may drive the results. Thepaper further discusses the theoretical and practical implications of these findingsfor understanding the challenges of adapting the welfare state to increasingly diversesocieties.

JOP — 2026-06-22 Original Scarcity, Strategy, and the Racialized Politics of Refugee Admission in the Global North Andrew S. Rosenberg Abstract （原文未提供摘要） 中文 稀缺性、战略与全球北方难民接纳的种族化政治 Andrew S. Rosenberg

PSJ — 2026-06-08 Original Regional News, Regional Bias? Evidence From Media Discourses and Welfare Decisions in Germany Stefanie Rueß Abstract ABSTRACT How do media representations of immigrants shape their treatment by street‐level bureaucrats? Despite a uniform federal legal framework, decision‐making varies substantially across local welfare offices. Though prior research links national news reporting and policy implementation, little is known about how regional variation in news reporting on immigration is linked to spatial variation in bureaucratic decision‐making. This is a key gap because regional media structures how residents perceive local developments and problems. I argue that street‐level bureaucrats are embedded within such a regional news environment, where reporting shapes their perception of regional immigration patterns and makes stereotypes cognitively accessible to them, influencing their decisions. I term this dynamic the regional media bias mechanism . To examine this phenomenon, I combine state‐level data on benefit reduction rates in Germany’s welfare program Citizen’s Benefit with regional newspaper articles (2010–2019). Leveraging topic modeling and panel data analysis, I show that regional narratives on rather positive topics of immigration are associated with more favorable administrative outcomes for immigrants, whereas frames emphasizing rather negative aspects correspond with stricter treatment. These results highlight the critical role of regional media in explaining regional variation in administrative decision‐making, thereby shaping policy implementation.

PSJ 54/2 2026-03-09 Original Unpacking Welfare Deservingness Theory: Evidence From the Perceived Deservingness of Gig Workers Juhyun Bae Abstract ABSTRACT The theory of welfare deservingness provides valuable insights into the social legitimacy of welfare programs and the principles underlying policy design. In examining the question of who deserves what and why, established deservingness criteria emphasize that individuals demonstrating motivation to work (“reciprocity”) are typically perceived as more deserving. However, little is known about how the nature of work might affect perceived deservingness. This study addresses this gap by investigating the perceived deservingness of gig workers, a rapidly growing segment of the labor force characterized by distinctive work arrangements. The flexibility and autonomy inherent in gig jobs are argued to amplify perceptions of personal responsibility and control, thereby reducing public support for benefits for gig workers. Through preregistered survey experiments conducted as part of the 2022 Cooperative Election Study, this research identifies a significant “gig work deservingness penalty,” where gig workers are perceived as less deserving of welfare benefits compared to traditional workers, even when demonstrating motivation to work. This penalty is especially pronounced for immigrant gig workers. These findings uncover the established criterion of “job searching” is not homogeneous, offering critical insights into the challenges of building consensus for policy reforms aimed at creating security systems for emerging precarious groups.