Not welcome anymore : the effect of electoral incentives on the reception of refugees
Abstract
Do electoral incentives affect immigration policies? Exploiting the Italian system for refugees’ reception and data from Italian municipalities, we show that proximity to elections reduces the probability that a municipality applies to host a refugee center by 26%, despite the economic benefits arising from these centers. Low electoral competition and high shares of extreme-right voters drive the effect. Our results are rationalized by a theoretical model and can explain the unequal distribution of refugees across and within countries.
Citation
Gamalerio , M & Negri , M 2023 , ' Not welcome anymore : the effect of electoral incentives on the reception of refugees ' , Journal of Economic Geography , vol. 23 , no. 4 , lbad002 , pp. 901-920 . https://doi.org/10.1093/jeg/lbad002
Publication
Journal of Economic Geography
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1468-2702Type
Journal article
Description
Funding: M.G. thanks for the research funds received from the Diputacio´ de Barcelona in cooperation with the Institut d’Economia de Barcelona (IEB). The usual disclaimer applies.Collections
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