Growing Up in Ethnic Enclaves: Language Proficiency and Educational Attainment of Immigrant Children

49 Pages Posted: 2 Jul 2018 Last revised: 16 Apr 2023

See all articles by Alexander M. Danzer

Alexander M. Danzer

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) - Faculty of Economics; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Carsten Feuerbaum

KU Eichstaett-Ingolstadt

Marc Piopiunik

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute) - Department Human Capital and Innovation

Ludger Woessmann

Ifo Institute for Economic Research; Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA); CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute for Economic Research); University of Munich - Ifo Institute for Economic Research

Abstract

Does a high regional concentration of immigrants of the same ethnicity affect immigrant children’s acquisition of host-country language skills and educational attainment? We exploit the exogenous placement of guest workers from five ethnicities across German regions during the 1960s and 1970s in a model with region and ethnicity fixed effects. Our results indicate that exposure to a higher own-ethnic concentration impairs immigrant children’s host-country language proficiency and increases school dropout. A key mediating factor for this effect is parents’ lower speaking proficiency in the host-country language, whereas inter-ethnic contacts with natives and economic conditions do not play a role.

Keywords: language, ethnic concentration, immigrant children, education, guest workers

JEL Classification: J15, I20, R23, J61

Suggested Citation

Danzer, Alexander M. and Feuerbaum, Carsten and Piopiunik, Marc and Woessmann, Ludger, Growing Up in Ethnic Enclaves: Language Proficiency and Educational Attainment of Immigrant Children. IZA Discussion Paper No. 11608, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3205895 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3205895

Alexander M. Danzer (Contact Author)

Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) - Faculty of Economics ( email )

Ludwigstrasse 28
Munich, D-80539
Germany

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Carsten Feuerbaum

KU Eichstaett-Ingolstadt ( email )

Ingolstadt, 85049
Germany

Marc Piopiunik

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute) - Department Human Capital and Innovation ( email )

Poschingerstr. 5
Munich, 81679
Germany

Ludger Woessmann

Ifo Institute for Economic Research ( email )

Poschingerstr. 5
Munich
Germany
++49 89 9224 1699 (Phone)
++49 89 9224 1460 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.cesifo.de/link/woessmann_l.htm

Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute for Economic Research)

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

University of Munich - Ifo Institute for Economic Research

Schackstr. 4
Munich, 80539
Germany

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