Exploring the role of legal status and neighborhood social capital on immigrant economic integration in Los Angeles

Abstract Low-wage Latina/o workers are subject to an array of workplace abuses. This study focuses on whether educational attainment may moderate inequality in knowledge or claims-making across individuals with different legal statuses. This question is motivated by research which, while highlighting the role of education in promoting civic and political engagement, has not examined the interaction between education and legal status for worker claims-making. We draw from the 2008 Unregulated Work Survey, which is representative of the 1.64 million low-wage workers in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York, three of the largest immigrant destinations in the United States. Using the Latina/o subsample, we test whether education impacts workers’ procedural knowledge of the claims process, as well as their actual claims-making behavior, across four categories of workers: U.S.-born citizens, naturalized citizens, documented noncitizens, and undocumented noncitizens. Our findings reveal that all noncitizens have lower levels of procedural knowledge about how to file a complaint with the government, compared to citizens, across educational levels. However, when it comes to claims-making, we find that education has significant positive impacts for noncitizen workers, especially the undocumented. Our results suggest that education may improve the workplace agency of even the most marginalized workers.

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Linking green space to neighborhood social capital in older adults: The role of perceived safety

Social Science & Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.04.051 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 207 ◽

pp. 38-45 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Andy Hong ◽

James F. Sallis ◽

Abby C. King ◽

Terry L. Conway ◽

Brian Saelens ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Social Capital ◽

Green Space ◽

Perceived Safety ◽

Neighborhood Social Capital

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Restricted Access: The Role of Social Capital in Mitigating Absolute Homelessness among Immigrants and Refugees in the GVRD

Refuge ◽

10.25071/1920-7336.21372 ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 107-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Silvia D'Addario ◽

Dan Hiebert ◽

Kathy Sherrell

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Social Networks ◽

Legal Status ◽

Housing System ◽

Official Language ◽

Immigrants And Refugees ◽

Skilled Immigrants ◽

Mode Of Entry ◽

Refugee Claimants

The housing patterns of newcomers mark a primary indicator for their successful integration. However, different groups of people have varied access to the stock of housing in Canada. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role that social capital plays in housing trajectories of immigrants with particular attention to the experiences of refugee claimants. In this paper we draw upon the results of a 2004–2005 study on the profile of absolute and relative homelessness among immigrants, refugees, and refugee claimants in the Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD). We highlight the importance of social networks in the housing careers of newcomers, and argue that access to social networks varies according to the mode of entry for immigrants (e.g., skilled immigrants vs. refugees). We find that refugee claimants are particularly vulnerable, given their combination of uncertain legal status, lack of official language ability, and unfamiliarity with Canadian society. They are the most likely of all newcomers to “fall between the cracks” of the housing system. We discuss the benefits of social capital for immigrants and refugees, especially the key role that social capital plays in the integration process.

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The relationship between urbanization and depression in China: the mediating role of neighborhood social capital

International Journal for Equity in Health ◽

10.1186/s12939-018-0825-x ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Ruoyu Wang ◽

Desheng Xue ◽

Ye Liu ◽

Hongsheng Chen ◽

Yingzhi Qiu

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Neighborhood Social Capital ◽

The Relationship

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Not without family: refugee family entrepreneurship and economic integration process

Journal of Enterprising Communities People and Places in the Global Economy ◽

10.1108/jec-03-2020-0044 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽

Author(s):

Khizran Zehra ◽

Sadia Usmani

Keyword(s):

Social Capital ◽

Economic Integration ◽

Host Country ◽

Well Being ◽

Integration Process ◽

Content Type ◽

Afghan Refugees ◽

Family Social Capital ◽

Afghan Refugee

Purpose Refugee entrepreneurship is increasing because of the increased influx of refugees around the globe. This leaves us with the question that how refugees integrate economically in the host country in the presence of all social, emotional and economic constraints. Existing literature suggests looking into the role of social capital to address refugee economic integration, particularly in developing nations. To acknowledge this call, this paper aims to explore the impact of family social capital on the economic integration process. Particularly, this study has investigated the Afghan refugee entrepreneurial activities and the integration process of Afghan refugees in economic and social spaces in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The study is rooted in 18 in-depth interviews with five participants that run small businesses in the city of Rawalpindi in Pakistan. Findings The findings revealed Afghan refugee entrepreneurs, develop a different type of family social capital i.e. horizontal and vertical social capital. Afterward, when the acculturation pace up across refugees’ generations then they accumulate bridging social capital gradually. The process of economic integration happens in different stages as also shown in the existing literature. Based on (Berry, 2003; Evansluong et al., 2019; Khulman, 1991) economic integration process this paper has discussed three main stages (entry in labor market, gradual integration and gradual sub-merging in host society) of Afghan refugee economic integration in Pakistan and further this study has shown how different steps are arranged within these stages to smoothen the integration process. Research limitations/implications With this research, this paper calls for a more nuanced approach to address the challenges that are faced by refugees during their economic integration. Future research on Afghan economic and social integration can contribute to a better understanding of refugee settlement, well-being and self-sufficient status in host countries. One of the limitations of the study is the focus on male participants because female Afghan refugees do not work mostly because of strong patriarchal structures observed in refugee Afghan groups. Practical implications Most Afghan entrepreneurs consider them as Pakistani and do not want to repatriate to Afghanistan. This provides an opportunity for Pakistani policymakers to provide regulations and opportunities to Afghan entrepreneurs who want to stay in Pakistan and contribute to their family well-being and economic income generation and employment in Pakistan. Social implications The role of the family acts as a means to refugee entrepreneurs’ integration in the host country. Strong migration networks and dense family configurations are a source of pride, responsibility, resilience and self-esteem for Afghan refugees to start and expand their businesses. Originality/value This study provides the opportunity to explore the under-researched role of family social capital in the migrant and refugee entrepreneurship literature.

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