Compensation or Retrenchment? The Paradox of Immigration and Public Welfare Spending in the American States

Authors

Ping Xu, University of Rhode IslandFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of Original Version

2016

Abstract

By using American state-level data from 1999 to 2008, this article explores how the recent immigrant influx has influenced public welfare spending in the American states. By integrating the race/ethnicity and globalization compensation theory, I hypothesize that immigration will increase welfare spending in states with a bleak job market and exclusive state immigrant welfare policy; in contrast, immigration will decrease welfare spending in states with a good job market and inclusive state immigrant welfare policy. Empirical tests show evidence for both hypotheses, suggesting that the applicability of general political science theories depends on a combination of state policy and economic contexts.

Citation/Publisher Attribution

Xu, Ping. “Compensation or Retrenchment? The Paradox of Immigration and Public Welfare Spending in the American States.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly, vol. 17, no. 1, Mar. 2017, pp. 76–104, doi:10.1177/1532440016660536.

Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1532440016660536