Assimilation Theory Research Articles

Toward Coexistence of Immigrants and Local People in Japan: Implications from Spatial Assimilation Theory

We investigate the validity of spatial assimilation theory (SAT), which predicts geographical dispersion of immigrants from ethnically concentrated areas to non-concentrated areas as time elapses. This can be tested by analyzing the concentration tendency among immigrants who arrive in Japan from overseas and relocate within the country. Using spatial models, we find that immigrants from overseas tend to move to ethnically concentrated regions in Japan, which is in line with SAT. By contrast, this trend substantially weakens with their subsequent domestic relocation, and it differs by national group. The results reveal slow assimilation among nationals from countries characterized as being low-income or culturally dissimilar from Japan. Based on these findings, we discuss potential deficiencies in a new immigration policy (2018), which has been designed to increase the number of immigrants and compensate for a labor shortage in Japan.

Procedural (In)Justice as Inclusivity and Marginalization: Evidence from a Longitudinal Sample of Mexican-American Adolescents

Objectives: Treatment by law enforcement officers, as representatives of the state that interact with individual citizens, may signal to individuals their political and social inclusion within society. Hispanics, as the largest minority group in the country that oftentimes must navigate two cultural identities, may be especially sensitive to the treatment of police. We test the group engagement model’s implication that procedural justice—or lack thereof—may promote or hinder attachment to the United States and/or Mexico among Latino/a adolescents and young adults. Methods: Using a fixed effects panel design with a subsample of Mexican Americans from the Pathways to Desistance Study, we examine whether changes in subjective procedural justice evaluations of the police are related to changes in National identification. Results: Changes in procedural justice perceptions are significantly related to changes in Mexican identification, whereas procedural justice is not related to changes in Anglo identification. Although, consistent with segmented assimilation theory, the relationships between changes in procedural justice and Mexican/Anglo identification may be stronger among participants born in the United States. Conclusions: The findings are generally consistent with the group engagement model of procedural justice and suggest procedural injustice may alienate Hispanics.

Empowerment of Urban Refugee Youths in Nairobi County, Kenya: A Socio-Economic Perspective

The ever-increasing rate of urbanization has led to a surge in the number of refugees and asylum seekers in the urban areas in the twenty first century. Much is not known whether these individuals can become self-empowered in coming years and avoid overreliance on humanitarian aid initiated through different projects. This study sought to establish the influence of socio-economic factors on empowerment of urban refugee youths in Nairobi County, Kenya. The objectives of the study were to examine the influence of human capital development and financial capital development factors on empowerment of urban refugee youths. The study was grounded on the Empowerment and Assimilation theories. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The study’s target population was 2972 urban refugee youths aged between 18-26 years who were registered by UNHCR and RAS and lived in Nairobi County. The study’s sample size was 297. The study adopted proportionate stratified sampling techniques. Quantitative data was collected by use of research questionnaires and the data was coded by Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). The statistical tools of analysis used for descriptive data were arithmetic mean and standard deviation, with the variables attaining a composite mean ranging between 4.03 and 3.72 and standard deviation ranging between 0.966 and 1.127. The statistical tools of analysis used for inferential statistics was Pearson Correlation Coefficient, with the variables attaining a strong positive correlation ranging between 0.896 and 0.868. The study concluded that human capital development and financial capital development factors influence empowerment of urban refugee youths in Nairobi County, Kenya. The study recommended support organizations to engage more professionals to equip urban refugee youths with more relevant and numerous skills that will develop their human capital as well as increase funds that support urban refugee youths in starting their businesses in order for them to achieve financial capital development.

Immigrants, Crime, and the American Dream: Testing a Segmented Assimilation Theory of Crime.

The immigrant-crime relationship is often misunderstood and highly complex. To date, criminological research has largely ignored theory testing of this relationship. This paper examines the extant literature on intergenerational offending amongst immigrant youth and subsequently tests whether the segmented assimilation theory- a theory borrowed from the interdisciplinary social sciences- adequately explains immigrant offending. The study uses data (N = 1,267) from the Pathways to Desistance Study (PTD) to examine intergenerational differences in changes to offending between immigrant youth and the native-born. The analyses largely reveal that the theory, based on its original assumptions, fails to adequately explain youth offending, and that the models provide more support for the straight-line theory of assimilation in regards to delinquency. Limitations and recommendations are discussed and proffered, respectively.

Intersecting Boundaries: Comparing Stereotypes of Native- and Foreign-Born Members of Ethnoracial Groups

Abstract Past research finds that Americans hold biased stereotypes about ethnoracial groups and about immigrants, but we lack an understanding of how these group identities intersect. Immigration theories offer opposing predictions; while the straight-line assimilation model predicts Americans will hold weaker ethnoracial stereotypes about the native-born compared to their immigrant coethnics, theories of racialized assimilation suggest that the enduring power of race will limit any differential stereotyping of immigrant and native-born members of racialized groups. I use an original survey experiment to compare Americans’ stereotypes of native- and foreign-born members of the four largest ethnoracial groups in the United States—Whites, Blacks, Latinos, and Asians. As predicted by straight-line assimilation theory, I find that Whites’ negative stereotypes of Latinos fade away with nativity; however, White Americans do not substantially alter their stereotypes of Asians and Blacks based on nativity status. Moreover, native-born Black and Latino Americans do not appear to hold differential stereotypes of ethnoracial groups based on their nativity status. This research highlights both the importance and limitations of accounting for nativity status to understand ethnoracial group boundaries in the United States.

New Faces, New Neighbors? How Latino Population Growth and Lending Expansion Shapes the Neighborhood Racial and Ethnic Composition for White and Latino Homebuyers

Fueled by increased socioeconomic status (SES), geographic mobility, and access to lending, Latino home buying expanded during the recent housing boom. However, less is known about the types of neighborhoods Latino homebuyers accessed during this time. To address this gap, we explore how SES, mortgage type, and the metropolitan racial and ethnic context affected the racial and ethnic composition of neighborhoods for new white and Latino homeowners. We use data from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act to explore these processes in 317 U.S. metropolitan areas from 2000 to 2010. Overall, we find evidence supporting both spatial assimilation theory and place stratification theory: while increased SES and loan amounts led to more white neighbors for both white and Latino homebuyers, subprime loans and the racial and ethnic context of metropolitan areas continue to constrain neighborhood attainment for Latinos.

U.S. Occupational Mobility of Children of Immigrants Based on Parents' Origin-Country Occupation.

This study provides a national-level assessment of occupational mobility and early-career attainment of children of immigrants based on parents' origin-country occupation. Exploiting unique aspects of the Educational Longitudinal Study, we examine how parent-child U.S. intergenerational occupational mobility patterns and child occupational attainment differ based on parental premigration occupational status (i.e., low- vs. high-skilled) and parental postmigration occupational mobility (i.e., upward, same, or downward). Our results suggest misestimation in intergenerational mobility research if parents' origin-country occupation is excluded. Including parents' origin-country occupation, we find that the children of immigrants are recovering from instances of parental occupational downgrading, building on parental advances, and advancing where parents could not. Furthermore, most children of immigrants do as well or better occupationally than children of non-Hispanic White natives. Strong educational investments help explain this advantage, particularly for children of high-skilled immigrants. However, results indicate that all children of immigrants would attain even more if they faced fewer postmigration barriers, especially children of low-skilled immigrants. These results advance immigrant selection and assimilation theories by demonstrating how pre- and postmigration factors influence occupational attainment of children of immigrants.

The Socioeconomic Attainments of Second-Generation Southeast Asian Americans in the 21st Century: Evidence from the American Community Survey, 2012–2016

Although decades have passed since the initial immigration of Southeast Asians to the U.S. after the Vietnam War, the socioeconomic outcomes of the native-born offspring of Southeast Asian immigrants have not been adequately considered in recent research. We therefore investigate current data on the education, wages, poverty, affluence, and household income of Southeast Asian Americans. The results indicate that the socioeconomic outcomes of native-born Southeast Asian Americans are substantially higher than their immigrant generation. Second-generation Thai and Vietnamese tend to have higher socioeconomic outcomes than whites, while second-generation Cambodians, Hmong and Laotians have lower outcomes than whites. However, none of the five native-born Southeast Asian groups are penalized in terms of wages net of their demographic characteristics. Furthermore, all five of the native-born Southeast Asian groups generally have higher socioeconomic outcomes than African Americans and Hispanics. Whereas prior discussions of Southeast Asian Americans imply that their lower socioeconomic characteristics derive from the intergenerational persistence of minority discrimination in an inherently racialized society, we instead view them as being broadly consistent with assimilation theory which has traditionally been based on a three-generational model.

Difference in travel behavior between immigrants in the u.s. and us born residents: The immigrant effect for car-sharing, ride-sharing, and bike-sharing services

Understanding immigrants’ travel behavior is important to transportation planners and policymakers working to implement better transportation planning and public policies to serve those needs. The recent changes to the transportation system, specifically, the recent emergence of shared mobility services, such as car-sharing, ride-sharing, and bike-sharing, may have resulted in changes in how immigrants travel. Thus, we explored two research questions: (1) whether immigrants in the U.S. are more likely to rely on the three newly emerging transportation modes than US-born persons, and (2) whether the assimilation theory can be applied to the modes. To answer these questions, we used data from the 2017 National Household Travel Survey and employed Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial regression models to understand the specific behavior of immigrant travelers.The models found the “immigrant effect” only for car-sharing services and bike-sharing programs; that is, relative to U.S. born residents, immigrants in the U.S. use car sharing and bike-sharing services more frequently, while we found an insignificant association in ride-sharing apps use. However, the negative binomial models suggested that immigrants use car sharing and ride sharing less frequently than expected. Immigrants who are in their first few years of living in the U.S. use smartphone rideshare app more frequently, confirming the “assimilation theory.” The results of the predicted frequency of the use indicated that with all other independent variables held constant, U.S. born residents use car-sharing and ride-sharing services more frequently than immigrants, though the difference is marginal. However, immigrants would still tend to use bike share programs more frequently rather than U.S. born residents.

Развитие эмпатии семиклассников на основе музыкально-сценических образов

The purpose of our study is to identify the developing potential of musical stage images in terms of the development of empathy of seventh-graders. In the course of the study, we elaborated an algorithm for development of empathy of adolescents, in which the main idea is to create conditions for the manifestation of the subjectivity of the position of schoolchildren. This algorithm is based on the theory of gradual assimilation of mental actions by P.Ya. Galperin, where the methods of developing empathy (heuristic conversation, cinquain, stage dialogues and monologue of the hero) are subordinated to its stages (formation of motivation, creation of an indicative basis for action, formation of materialized action, stages of formation of mental actions in external and internal speech, automation of action). The following part of this article presents the results of the experiment, in which 47 seven grade students, ages 13–14, from Irkutsk secondary school No. 65 took part. To determine the initial level of the seventh-graders empathy, we used a standardized test “Diagnosis the level of empathy” by V.V. Boyko, which includes six components (rational, emotional, intuitive channels; attitudes that promote or hinder empathy; penetrating ability; identification). To develop the empathy in the experimental group of students of the 7th grade, 6 lessons were held, where taking into account the students conscious, heartfelt attitude to the topic, ideas and images two musical and dramatic works were used: Glinka's Opera “Ivan Susanin” (“Life for the Tsar”) and L. Bernstein's musical “West side story”. The data obtained in the course of the study indicate the effectiveness of the algorithm for developing empathy of seventh-graders based on musical and stage images, which is confirmed by the method of statistical testing of hypotheses using the Student's t-test.

The role of physical culture and sport activities in migrant integration

The relevance of the research topic consists in solving the scientific and practical problem of integrating migrants into the host community. The purpose of the research is to identify the role of physical culture and sports in the social integration of migrants. The methodology of the research is presented by the theories of assimilation of migrants with the local population; multiculturalism as the idea of the existence of a multinational state; transnationalism implemented in the conditions of globalization, informatization and digitalization of the society. The research methods used are content analysis of documents; analysis of statistical data, secondary analysis of sociological data, comparative analysis. The novelty of the research issue lies in the critical understanding of the advantages and limitations of physical training and sports as tools for integrating migrants into host communities in foreign countries. The results of the research have been defined: the role of physical training and sports activities in the process of migrants' integration based on the domestic and foreign research; the main approaches to the implementation of migration policy measures in world practice (assimilation, multiculturalism and transnationalism) as well as the assessment of its success, by using the Migrant Integration Index. The study allows us to draw a conclusion about the dual nature of the integration potential of physical culture and sports in the implementation of migration policy: on the one hand, it is a way of revealing socio-cultural capital, searching for additional opportunities for self-realization in a new socio-cultural environment, overcoming social isolation, eliminating barriers of social exclusion; on the other hand, it is a deterrent effect of migrants' age, gender, ethnicity, religion, level of education, attitude to various sports and physical activity in the countries of entry and exit on the integration process.

The Link between Social and Structural Integration: Co- and Interethnic Friendship Selection and Social Influence within Adolescent Social Networks

Assimilation theories argue that social ties with majority-group members enhance the structural integration of ethnic minority members, whereas under certain conditions, coethnic social ties can also benefit minority members' socioeconomic outcomes. We examine these propositions through a social network perspective, focusing on friendship networks and educational expectations in adolescence, during which peer socialization is crucial. Longitudinal data from 1,992 adolescents in 91 classrooms allow us to investigate co- and interethnic social selection and social influence processes as well as their aggregated outcomes. In terms of friendship selection, we find that Turkishorigin minority adolescents in Germany have distinct preferences for friends with high educational expectations, among both co- and interethnic peers. In contrast, social influence on Turkish-minority adolescents' educational expectations is not uniform: only majority-group friends exert a significant (positive) influence. Our results emphasize that bridging social capital gained from social ties with majority-group members enhances ethnic minority adolescents' educational integration.

NUCLEAR DATA UNCERTAINTY QUANTIFICATION FOR THE DECAY HEAT OF PWR MOX FUELS USING DATA ASSIMILATION OF ELEMENTARY FISSION BURSTS

Currently there is no integral experimental data for code validation regarding the decay heat of MOX fuels, excepted fission burst experiments (for fission products contributions at short cooling times) or post-irradiated experiments on nuclide inventories (restricted number of nuclide of interest for decay heat). The uncertainty quantification mainly relies on uncertainty propagation of nuclear data covariances. In the recent years, the transposition method, based on the data assimilation theory, was used in order to transpose the experiment-to-calculation discrepancies at a given set of parameters (cooling time, fuel burnup) to another set of parameters. As an example, this method was used on the CLAB experiments and the experiment-to-calculation discrepancies at 13 years were transposed to an UOX fuel between 5 and 27 years and for burnups from 10 to 50 GWd/t. The purpose of this paper is to study to what extent the transposition method could be used for MOX fuels. In particular, the Dickens fission burst experiment of 239Pu was considered for MOX fuels at short cooling times (< 1h30) and low burnup (< 10 GWd/t). The impact of fission yields (FY) correlations was also discussed. As a conclusion, the efficiency of the transposition process is limited by the experimental uncertainties larger than nuclear data uncertainties, and by the fact that fission burst experiments would only be representative to the FY contribution of the decay heat uncertainty of an irradiated reactor fuel. Nevertheless, this method strengthens the decay heat uncertainties at very short cooling times, previously based only on nuclear data covariance propagation through computation.

Value Differences between Refugees and German Citizens: Insights from a Representative Survey

AbstractThe political debate over the inclusion of refugees frequently revolves around cultural differences, in particular differences pertaining to values, which are suspected to hamper social integration. Sociological accounts of values in principle warrant the assumption that different values promote conflict over sensitive social issues. However, only little is known about the actual values of refugees who recently arrived in many European countries. Comparative values research suggests that immigrants from culturally distant countries increase value heterogeneity. In contrast, acculturation and assimilation theories argue that values are not static constructs, but subject to change and transformation. Using data from the IAB‐BAMF‐SOEP survey, a representative panel of refugees in Germany, and from the World Values Survey, the present study investigates differences in liberal democratic and gender equality values between refugees and German citizens. Results indicate that refugees from almost all countries investigated show higher levels of agreement to these values, except secularism, than Germans.

Long-Term m5C Methylome Dynamics Parallel Phenotypic Adaptation in the Cyanobacterium Trichodesmium.

A major challenge in modern biology is understanding how the effects of short-term biological responses influence long-term evolutionary adaptation, defined as a genetically determined increase in fitness to novel environments. This is particularly important in globally important microbes experiencing rapid global change, due to their influence on food webs, biogeochemical cycles, and climate. Epigenetic modifications like methylation have been demonstrated to influence short-term plastic responses, which ultimately impact long-term adaptive responses to environmental change. However, there remains a paucity of empirical research examining long-term methylation dynamics during environmental adaptation in nonmodel, ecologically important microbes. Here, we show the first empirical evidence in a marine prokaryote for long-term m5C methylome modifications correlated with phenotypic adaptation to CO2, using a 7-year evolution experiment (1,000+ generations) with the biogeochemically important marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium. We identify m5C methylated sites that rapidly changed in response to high (750 µatm) CO2 exposure and were maintained for at least 4.5 years of CO2 selection. After 7 years of CO2 selection, however, m5C methylation levels that initially responded to high-CO2 returned to ancestral, ambient CO2 levels. Concurrently, high-CO2 adapted growth and N2 fixation rates remained significantly higher than those of ambient CO2 adapted cell lines irrespective of CO2 concentration, a trend consistent with genetic assimilation theory. These data demonstrate the maintenance of CO2-responsive m5C methylation for 4.5 years alongside phenotypic adaptation before returning to ancestral methylation levels. These observations in a globally distributed marine prokaryote provide critical evolutionary insights into biogeochemically important traits under global change.

Concept Map and Knowledge

Based on Piaget’s genetic epistemology, Ausubel developed the assimilation theory of verbal learning [...]

Challenges to the economic integration of Afghan refugees in the U.S.

ABSTRACT Informed by a modified segmented assimilation theory, we use 5% Census and American Community Survey data to examine the economic integration of Afghan refugees resettled in the U.S. First-wave Afghan refugees have made significant gains in income and employment, while their poverty rates and reliance on government assistance decreased dramatically. However, the most recent wave of Afghan refugees is not doing as well as the first at comparable points in time. Analysis of ACS data from 2006–2015 finds that, with controls, Afghan refugees’ earned incomes are the lowest of seven refugee/immigrant comparison groups. Given the robust set of controls, we hypothesise that anti-Muslim discrimination is an important unmeasured explanatory factor and suggest where to focus future research on this topic. Afghans’ lower incomes are substantially explained by lower employment levels, especially among less educated Afghan women and highly educated Afghan women and men. Evidence suggests that these patterns are influenced by distance between Afghan and U.S. gender orders, greater physical and mental disability from exposure to traumas, and the limited internal social capital of this small refugee group from a poor country.

Landscapes of appropriation and assimilation: the impact of immigrant-origin populations on U.S. cuisine

ABSTRACT Although assimilation theories acknowledge that the host society adopts aspects of migrant culture, empirical work continues to focus on the assimilation trajectories of immigrants. This study represents the first effort to investigate, on a national level, whether Asians and Hispanics exert a cultural influence on local populations. We assess this possibility by using ethnic restaurants – both national chain and local establishments – as a test case. County-level data is pooled from the decennial U.S. Census, the American Community Survey, the Economic Research Service, the Voting and Elections Collection from CQ Press, and Reference U.S.A. to investigate the association of interest; Nielsen Marketing data is used to further supplement analyses. Results indicate that Asians and Hispanics may indeed influence local community expressions of culture – both in terms of restaurant availability and the extent to which those outside of the co-ethnic community engage in restaurant ownership. Moreover, we find compelling evidence that assimilation may be stronger in locations with advantaged majority populations. In combination, this manuscript offers innovative theoretical perspectives as well as preliminary evidence to suggest assimilation is indeed a multidirectional process.

Religious discrimination in young Muslim assimilation in Spain: Contributions to Portes and Rumbaut’s segmented assimilation theory

This article aims to consider the role of religion in the integration process of children born to immigrants in host societies (second generation) in Spain using the theory of segmented assimilation of Portes and Rumbaut and Portes, Aparicio and Haller. It is based on an exploratory qualitative research project conducted in a medium-sized city in Catalonia that examined the integration of young people of different origins and the role religion played in this process. To do so, we proffer a religious discrimination hypothesis: a scenario in which Islam, but not other religions, can become a significant barrier to positive assimilation. According to the results, this ‘religious stigma’ scenario occurs in the majority of the young Muslims who were interviewed and across many aspects of their lives.

Mainstream Flavor: Ethnic Cuisine and Assimilation in the United States

Assimilation theories posit that cultural change is part and parcel of the assimilation process. That change can register in the symbols and practices that individuals invoke as part of an ethnic experience. But cultural change also includes the degree to which the mainstream takes up those symbols and practices as part of its composite culture. We develop a way to examine whether cuisine, an important component of ethnic culture, is part of the mainstream’s composite culture and the contextual factors associated with the presence of ethnic cuisine in the composite culture. We begin with a comparison of 761,444 reviews of Mexican, Italian, Chinese, and American restaurants across the United States from Yelp!, an online customer review platform. We find that reviews of Mexican restaurants mention ethnicity and authenticity much more than reviews of Italian and American restaurants, but less than reviews of Chinese restaurants, suggesting intermediate mainstreaming of Mexican cuisine. We then examine Mexican restaurant reviews in the 82 largest U.S. core-based statistical areas (CBSAs) to uncover the contextual factors associated with Mexican cuisine’s local mainstream presence. We find that Mexican food is less defined in ethnic terms in CBSAs with larger and more culturally distinct Mexican populations and at less-expensive restaurants. We argue that regional versions of the composite culture change as ethnic groups come to define a region demographically and culturally.