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Comparing Immigrant Integration in North America and Western Europe: How Much Do the Grand Narratives Tell Us?

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  • Richard Alba
  • Nancy Foner

Abstract

type="main" xml:id="imre12134-abs-0001"> In comparing different countries, studies often seek to account for the success of immigrant integration, or lack of it, in a small number of “grand ideas,” such as nationally specific “models” of integration, which attempt to provide overarching explanations for cross-national differences and similarities. This article evaluates five grand ideas in light of our study examining how four European (Britain, France, Germany, and the Netherlands) and two North American (U.S., Canada) countries are meeting the challenges of integrating immigrants and their second-generation children across a variety of domains from the labor market, to the educational system, to the polity. We conclude that while some of the grand ideas help to illuminate patterns of integration in particular domains, none provides a sufficiently encompassing explanation – and each has significant failings. Moreover, none of these ideas highlights all of the features that we argue are critical, although these do not boil down to one “grand narrative.” These features are the characteristics or qualities that immigrants bring with them when they move to Europe or North America; demographic and other social and economic trends there; and, perhaps most important, historically rooted social, political, and economic institutions in each receiving society that create barriers as well as bridges to integration and inclusion.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Alba & Nancy Foner, 2014. "Comparing Immigrant Integration in North America and Western Europe: How Much Do the Grand Narratives Tell Us?," International Migration Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48, pages 263-291, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:intmig:v:48:y:2014:i::p:s263-s291
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/imre.2014.48.issue-s1
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    Cited by:

    1. Shahd Seethaler-Wari, 2018. "Urban Planning for the Integration of Refugees: The Importance of Local Factors," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 3(4), pages 141-155.
    2. Haralambie George Alin, 2017. "An Analysis Of Social Inclusion In Eu," Annals - Economy Series, Constantin Brancusi University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 4, pages 17-24, August.
    3. Nancy DiTomaso, 2021. "Why Difference Makes a Difference: Diversity, Inequality, and Institutionalization," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(8), pages 2024-2051, December.
    4. Kezia Lartey & Brandon D. Lundy, 2017. "Policy Considerations regarding the Integration of Lusophone West African Immigrant Populations," Border Crossing, Transnational Press London, UK, vol. 7(1), pages 108-121, January-J.
    5. Elif Erisen, 2017. "Seeking refuge in a superordinate group: Non-EU immigration heritage and European identification," European Union Politics, , vol. 18(1), pages 26-50, March.
    6. Nella Geurts & Marcel Lubbers, 2023. "The Good and the Bad: Do Immigrants’ Positive and Negative Evaluations of Life After Migration Go Hand in Hand?," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 1091-1111, September.
    7. Hahn, Elisabeth & Richter, David & Schupp, Jürgen & Back, Mitja D., 2019. "Predictors of Refugee Adjustment: The Importance of Cognitive Skills and Personality," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 5(1[Art. no), pages 1-14.
    8. Orhan Agirdag & Karen Phalet & Mieke Van Houtte, 2016. "European identity as a unifying category: National vs. European identification among native and immigrant pupils," European Union Politics, , vol. 17(2), pages 285-302, June.
    9. Richard Alba & Nancy Foner, 2015. "Mixed Unions and Immigrant-Group Integration in North America and Western Europe," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 662(1), pages 38-56, November.
    10. Corinne Torrekens & Dimokritos Kavadias & Nawal Bensaid, 2023. "Being “Both”: Identifications of Second and Third Generation Brussels Muslim Youths towards the Country of Origin and the Country of Residence," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-15, June.
    11. Badir Yousif Rafee Alharmoodi & Muhammad Modi B. Lakulu, 2020. "Transition from e-Government to m-Government: Challenges and Opportunities - Case Study of UAE," European Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies Articles, Revistia Research and Publishing, vol. 5, January -.
    12. Maruszewski Wojciech & Kaczmarczyk Paweł, 2020. "Economic Integration and Migrant Networks: The Case of Ukrainian Migrants in the Warsaw Agglomeration," Central European Economic Journal, Sciendo, vol. 7(54), pages 258-278, January.
    13. Xi, Juan, 2016. "Types of integration and depressive symptoms: A latent class analysis on the resettled population for the Three Gorges dam project, China," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 157(C), pages 78-86.

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