Ethnicity, Immigration and Social Policy

Overview

Populations of visible ethnic minorities have steadily increased over the past few decades in immigrant-receptive societies. While a complex calculus of push and pull factors has motivated this increase, one of the main impetuses for this migration has been the search for employment, better wages and a higher standard of living. It is, therefore, not surprising that the educational attainments of the first generation and beyond have achieved convergence with, or exceeded, the non-ethnic minority cohort. These outcomes may suggest a greater propensity for ethnic minorities to attain labour market success and to fully integrate within the community. However, the lessons learned from recent studies suggests an uneasiness to boldly claim this as the most convincing conclusion at this juncture. This course engages with this narrative by examining the occupational success of ethnic minorities during the job search, hiring, and promotion process. Moreover, it discusses the interactive role an individual’s non-cognitive skills and social network, a firm’s working culture, and social trust in a community, plays in the integration process. Each lecture will discuss a salient topic of interest to the understanding of ethnicity and immigration, and further engage with the applicable social policy theories and practices using a myriad of global experiences.

Lectures and Readings

1.  Introduction   [video]     [podcast]     [handout]

2.  Ethnic Polarization   [video]     [podcast]     [handout]

3.  Ethnic Wars   [video]     [podcast]     [handout]

4.  Multiculturalism   [video]     [podcast]     [handout]

5.  European Models   [video]     [podcast]     [handout]

6.  Asian and Oceanic Models   [video]     [podcast]     [handout]

7.  Immigration   [video]     [podcast]     [handout]

8.  Ethnic Settlement and Human Capital   [video]     [podcast]     [handout]

9.  Socio-Economic Performances   [video]     [podcast]     [handout]

10.  Inter-Ethnic Cooperation   [video]     [podcast]     [handout]

11.  Future Prospects   [video]     [podcast]     [handout]