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Title: Welfare Usage in the U.S.: Does Immigrant Birthplace and Immigration Status Matter?

Citation Type: Working Paper

Publication Year: 2009

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Abstract: The study of welfare participation in the U.S. prior to the 1996 welfare reform act and evenafterward has focused on comparisons between native born and immigrant households.Analyses that have gone beyond this broad classification have focused on comparisonsacross race or with particular focus on particular groups like Hispanic immigrants. To the bestof our knowledge, there is no study yet that tests for difference in welfare usage amongimmigrant groups and immigrant status. We do not expect welfare usage to differ amongimmigrant groups if we control for the factors that should predict welfare usage. Similarly, ifimmigration status does not prevent welfare usage for certain immigrants, then ceterisparibus, we do not expect welfare usage to differ among immigrant based on status. Weinvestigate these possibilities by testing three related hypothesis using probability models.Our results suggest that birth place matters and the probability of welfare usage is not thesame for all groups. We also find that for some birthplace groups, citizen and non-citizensdiffer with respect to welfare usage. Finally, we find that post welfare reform, the probability ofbeing on welfare in comparison to U.S. born increased for all immigrant groups and theseincreases differed across groups. We provide possible explanations for our unexpected results

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Authors: Oyelere, Ruth U.

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Publication Number: 4659

Institution: Institute for the Study of Labor

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Publisher Location: Bonn, Germany

Data Collections: IPUMS CPS

Topics: Migration and Immigration, Poverty and Welfare

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