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  • 2024
  • 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:140
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Abstract

We study the long run effects of immigration on American political ideology. Exploiting cross-county variation in the presence of European immigrants between 1900 and 1930, we establish a novel result: historical European immigration is associated with stronger preferences for redistribution and a more liberal ideology among Americans today. We show that this pattern is driven by immigrants coming from countries with stronger preferences for redistribution, measured by the timing of adoption of social-welfare reforms. Our evidence suggests that the vertical transmission of preferences within immigrant enclaves was complemented by horizontal socialization that promoted the spillover of ideology from immigrants to natives. This process was reinforced by immigrants’ political incorporation in the Democratic voting bloc and by the election of legislators who were more likely to support pro-redistribution bills.

Keywords

Political Ideology; Preferences For Redistribution; Cultural Transmission; 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 July 2024. Conditionally accepted at the Journal of the European Economic Association. Available also from VOX, UCLA Anderson Review, Weekendavisen, Cato Institute, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER), World Financial Review, and Newsweek.)
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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
  • Economic Integration and the Transmission of Democracy By: Marco Tabellini and Giacomo Magistretti
  • Extractive Taxation and the French Revolution By: Tommaso Giommoni, Gabriel Loumeau and Marco Tabellini
  • South Africa: Growth and Inequality By: Marco Tabellini, Marlous van Waijenburg and Maisie Wiltshire-Gordon
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