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  • 2020
  • Working Paper
  • HBS Working Paper Series

The Seeds of Ideology: Historical Immigration and Political Preferences in the United States

By: Paola Giuliano and Marco Tabellini
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:129 
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Abstract

We test the relationship between historical immigration to the U.S. and political ideology today. We hypothesize that European immigrants brought with them their preferences for the welfare state, and that this had a long-lasting effect on the political ideology of U.S. born individuals. Our analysis proceeds in three steps. First, we document that the historical presence of European immigrants is associated with a more liberal political ideology and with stronger preferences for redistribution among U.S. born individuals today. Next, we show that this correlation is not explained by the characteristics of the counties where immigrants settled or other specific, socioeconomic immigrants' traits. Finally, we provide evidence that our findings are driven by immigrants who had been more exposed to social-welfare reforms in their country of origin. Consistent with a mechanism of transmission from immigrants to natives, results are stronger when inter-group contact, measured with intermarriage and residential integration, was higher. Our findings also indicate that immigrants influenced American political ideology during one of the largest episodes of redistribution in U.S. history—the New Deal—and that such effects persisted after the initial shock.

Keywords

Political Ideology; Immigration; History; Values And Beliefs; Welfare; United States

Citation

Giuliano, Paola, and Marco Tabellini. "The Seeds of Ideology: Historical Immigration and Political Preferences in the United States." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 20-118, May 2020. (Revised November 2020. Available also from VOX, UCLA Anderson Review, Weekendavisen and in Cato Institute.)
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About The Author

Marco E. Tabellini

Business, Government and the International Economy
→More Publications

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More from the Authors
  • Hate Crime Increases with Minoritized Group Rank By: Mina Cikara, Vasiliki Fouka and Marco Tabellini
  • The Political Effects of Immigration: Culture or Economics? By: Alberto Alesina and Marco Tabellini
  • Faith and Assimilation: Italian Immigrants in the U.S. By: Stefano Gagliarducci and Marco Tabellini
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