Annamaria Nese

This work examines any ethnic gaps between self-identified ethnic minorities and the majority of the population across Western European regions, taking into consideration the variations within native population and ethnic minorities due to family background (i.e., parents' education and occupation). The analysis shows that self-identified ethnic minorities and national majorities have significantly different socioeconomic levels; the observed ethnic gaps cannot be fully explained by individual educational attainment, family history, or challenges related to migration. Micro data from the European Social Survey are used in this investigation. The findings show that overestimating any ethnic gaps may result from ignoring social origins: parents with high socioeconomic status may better target their children in their decision-making, which may imply further disadvantages for ethnic minorities, particularly for the offspring of migrants who typically have low social origins. The findings also highlight how little intergenerational mobility there is in Europe.

In this paper, we report data drawn from a field study in an Italian region (Campania), where a disastrous earthquake took place in 1980. We rely on subjects’ responses to a questionnaire and on experimental measures. We compare the time preferences in two different samples, the first one constituted by subjects who directly experienced the earthquake and its aftermath effects, and the second one constituted by subjects who lived far away from the earthquake epicentre, but in urban areas with comparable socioeconomic features. Our aim is to test whether there are long run effects of environmental disasters on time preferences. We find significant differences, since individuals living close to the epicentre are more patient than subjects in the alternative sample, also controlling for risk aversion.

Immigration can potentially address demographic challenges in developed countries by introducing young workers into the labor markets but, at the same time, it can increase competition for jobs with socio-economic effects that need to be carefully managed. Prior research has focused on the impact of immigration on local labor markets taking into account the skills of native-born inhabitants and immigrants. In contrast, analyses of age-specific effects are scarce despite the fact that immigration is likely to affect workers in different age-cohorts to different extents, with various policy implications. In addition, firms’ innovative capacity may contribute to shaping the effects of immigration. This work contributes to the existing literature by examining the relationships between immigration, labor market dynamics, and innovation in Western Europe between 2011 and 2019. The analysis uses microdata drawn from the Labour Force Surveys, from the OECD REGPAT database, and from the European Social Survey. The results show that immigrants are more likely to substitute younger native workers, while adult workers benefit from immigrants employed in complementary tasks. This substitution/complementarity nexus increases in the more innovative sectors. From a policy standpoint, these findings highlight the need for age-specific policies and training programs in order to mitigate the adverse effects of immigration and to maximize growth-promotion.

Using microdata from the Labour Force Survey (2009–2019) and special Labour Force Surveys conducted in 2007, 2013, and 2020 in Italy, this study examines (i) whether immigrants are more likely than native-born workers to experience occupational injuries and job-related health problems and (ii) the effects of immigration on the allocation of occupational risks. We also contribute to the literature in this context by considering differences between natives and immigrants that may exist outside individual characteristics (age, gender), such as education, the age at which immigrants entered Italy and the length of stay. We find that immigrants are involved in riskier and more unsafe tasks; moreover, immigration in the last decade has led to a reduction in the average physical burden of native-born workers. Our results have important policy implications because they might be weighed against the racist sentiments of the local community.

Purpose: This work analyzes female immigrants’ integration in the dimensions of education, labor market participation and fertility in 15 European countries, considering individual characteristics, including cultural background, host countries’ attitudes towards immigrants, the role of women in the family and country-specific integration policy. All these aspects taken together are crucial to understand the main patterns of integration focusing on gender differences.Design/methodology/approach: We focus on second- and first-generation male and female immigrants between the age of 25 and 41, with a length of stay of at least ten years. Enrollment ratios for tertiary education in parents’ countries, the total fertility rate and the female labor force in the mother’s country represent ethnic background. Diversity in the destination regions is captured by local attitudes towards immigrants, the perceived role of women and national policies to integrate migrants [Migrant Integration Policy Index (MIPEX)]. The data are drawn from the European Social Survey (ESS) for 2010–2018. Our results are based on ordinary least squares (OLS) and logit estimates; multilevel analysis was conducted.Findings: We find significant evidence of gender role transmission from mother to daughter; age at immigration seems to be crucial to examine the importance of the culture of origin among immigrants. However, females are responsive to attitudes toward immigrants and gender equality in receiving societies, while integration policies, by defining the set of opportunities, may contribute to both genders’ tertiary education and women’s probability of being in the labor force.Social implications: This work underlines that integration policies favoring equal rights as nationals may contribute to both women’s tertiary education and their probability of being in the labor force.Originality/value: We explore female integration in Europe in the dimensions of education, labor market, fertility and the role of both immigrants’ cultural heritage and specific aspects of destination countries. Previous research, particularly in the USA, has generally focused on some of these features at the expense of a more comprehensive approach. This study builds upon the existing literature and contributes to it by taking a multifaceted approach to female integration in Western Europe, which presents not only an institutional context different from the USA but also some heterogeneity with respect to integration policies and socioeconomic factors.

Using panel data between 2012 and 2020, this research examines the relationship between the flows of low-skilled immigrants and innovation in the EU-15 group of nations and Switzerland. The empirical component is generated from a theoretical model that we construct. After addressing the potential endogeneity of the share of immigrants in the population, we find that regions with a relatively high immigrant population have a favorable impact on the generation of patent applications, whereas low-skilled immigrants have the reverse effects on innovation. Hence, the results are in line with the proposition in the theoretical section that lower-educated immigrants determine social decreasing returns in the economy.

This work examines any ethnic gaps between self-identified ethnic minorities and the majority of the population across Western European regions, taking into consideration the variations within native population and ethnic minorities due to family background (i.e., parents' education and occupation). The analysis shows that self-identified ethnic minorities and national majorities have significantly different socioeconomic levels; the observed ethnic gaps cannot be fully explained by individual educational attainment, family history, or challenges related to migration. Estimates of multilevel models have been made, with the individual outcome in terms of socioeconomic position and education as the dependent variable. Micro data from the European Social Survey are used in this investigation. The findings show that overestimating any ethnic gaps may result from ignoring social origins: parents with high socioeconomic status may better target their children in their decision-making, which may imply further disadvantages for ethnic minorities, particularly for the offspring of migrants who typically have low social origins. The findings also highlight how little intergenerational mobility there is in Europe.

This paper analyzes whether cultural heritage determines gender differences in educational expectations to go to university of first- and second-generation immigrants in Italy. The analysis relies on the “Integration of Second-Generation Survey” (INTEG2GEN) carried out by the Italian Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) in 2015. INTEG2GEN is a national representative survey of students living in Italy and attending lower and upper secondary school. Our findings suggest that parents’ cultural background plays a non-negligible role for their daughters’ and sons’ expectations. Nevertheless, there is a gender difference in the way they react to it. Males are more sensitive to cultural orientations towards education. Females are more responsive to gender inequality issues and tend to conform to gender roles deemed appropriate according to their cultural tradition. Nevertheless, females seem more open to changes and opportunities they face in the new country.

In recent years, analysts’ interest in understanding sustainability as a new and exclusive economic paradigm has been matched by the research for tools that might both promote and hinder it. In particular, innovation has been widely regarded for its beneficial effects on sustainability, whereas corruption has been regarded for its negative implications. This study adds to our understanding of these linkages by revealing that, depending on the nature of the sustainability targets, these important drivers can have varying effects. Therefore, using a sample of Italian firms, through SEM analysis, we estimate two latent variables representing innovation and corruption for their relationship with sustainability in two models, covering two sets of indicators (sustainable industrialization and sustainable employment and labour). Whereas both models’ results indicate that innovation and sustainability have a substantial positive link, the relationship between corruption and sustainability yields contradictory results. Furthermore, the findings show a negative relationship between innovation and corruption. As a result, the distinction between types of sustainability leads to a different interpretation of how their driving factors operate. This approach suggests the establishment of more tailored sustainability strategies, in line with the diverse consequences that may arise when corruption, innovation, and sustainability are at play.