Research

The Effect of Easing Permanent Residency on Immigrants’ Economic Assimilation: Evidence from Canada  (Please find the latest version here)

Abstract: Determining the most effective immigration policy is a critical concern for governments. Should policies become more stringent or more permissive when it comes to granting permanent residency (PR) to skilled immigrants? Addressing this question is crucial for assessing policy outcomes and aiding policymakers in conducting cost-benefit analyses for potential changes in immigration policies. This paper utilizes the Regression Discontinuity quasi-experimental design on the Longitudinal Immigration Database (IMDB). Specifically, this study examines the implementation (and withdrawal) of the Ph.D. stream policy, allowing to obtain a fair assessment of how expediting or delaying the permanent residency process influences immigrants' economic integration. My research primarily centers on the labor market outcomes of immigrants and explores the broader implications of this policy on Canadian workers. Moreover, I conduct a detailed analysis to understand how these policy changes affect different demographic groups, including variations based on age, gender, and country of origin. The preliminary results indicate that speeding up the permanent residency process has a positive, large effect on the income of immigrants and a positive, though small effect on the employment of immigrants. The final research findings are currently available at the Research Data Centre (RDC) at the University of Calgary, pending vetting approval. Once approved, the results will be published following the evaluation by RDC analysts.



Mark Anderson; Rajiv D. Banker; Atsuko Tanaka; Soonchul Hyun

Abstract:  This paper addresses the evolving landscape of work in a world marked by technological advancements and globalization. With work becoming increasingly specialized and requiring teamwork, organizations are implementing individual and group-based incentives to enhance worker productivity. While previous studies using experimental data have provided valuable insights, little is known about how these incentive schemes are adopted in real business practices and their impact on production performance. This paper bridges this gap by utilizing Canadian employer-employee matched data to explore the adoption of incentive schemes, with a particular focus on group-based incentives. It investigates how individual-based and group-based incentives relate to each other and their combined effect on establishments. The analysis reveals that these two incentive types are complementary and often coexist in practice. The sequential adoption of both schemes is more common than simultaneous adoption, with group incentives contributing to performance improvements, especially when the tasks demand a complex environment, such as group collaboration, and in establishments facing greater competition. These findings shed light on the dynamics of incentive adoption and their role in enhancing performance.


Abstract: In this paper, I investigate the contribution of skills to the gender wage gap through two different channels. First, the difference in the skills each gender is required to use in their jobs in the sense that various skills are rewarded differently. Second, the heterogeneous returns to the same skills for men and women. To do this, I apply Oaxaca decomposition using Labor Force Survey (LFS) data plus a skill dataset that is linked to the LFS dataset using occupational variables. Results suggest that skills play a role in the existence of wage gap only through the first channel.


Abstract: I investigate the effects of age at immigration on refugees’ social network structure with a focus on the role of social networks in assimilation. Using General Social Survey (GSS) data, I employ various measures of social capital as proxies for size, strength and diversity of social networks. My findings indicate that age at immigration affects refugee men’s labor market outcomes the most both in terms of social network structure and assimilation. In contrast, our social network analysis suggests that highly educated women -especially refugee women- are more affected by their social network structure in terms of assimilation. When looking at heterogeneous effects, I find that income-wise, refugee men who came to Canada at an age falling in the 20-39 range, are at a disadvantage relative to their native counterparts.