Dr. Alisa C. Lewin, Associate Professor at the University of Haifa and visiting Associate Professor in the School of Policy and International Affairs at Princeton University, presents in the PPL Colloquium Series:

Poverty, Affluence, and Homeownership among Working-Age Immigrants in Israel

Affluence, homeownership, and poverty are good measures of immigrants’ long-term integration. High income and homeownership indicate successful integration and intentions to stay in the host country, whereas poverty signals economic vulnerability, typical of immigrants who arrive with few resources. The study finds that immigrants arriving after age 50 achieve worse socioeconomic outcomes than do those migrating at younger ages; they are less likely to be affluent or own a home, and more likely to be poor than immigrants arriving at younger ages. The study also reveals substantial differences in poverty, affluence, and homeownership, by country of origin. Differences, by age of arrival and by country of origin, hold even when controlling for language proficiency. Examining affluence, homeownership, and poverty is an innovative way to reveal group differences and policy effects on the long-term costs of late migration. Policy implications of late migration are discussed.