Ethnic minorities and income inequality: the Albanian community in Italy
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores whether ethnic minorities exhibit varying levels of income inequality compared to the host population.
Design/methodology/approach
The research leverages a unique immigration event in Italy, specifically the settlement of multiple Albanian groups in southern Italy during the 16th century. This historical occurrence enables an investigation into the role of cultural traits in income inequality, as these groups are situated in the same geographical region and often share borders.
Findings
The results, which remain consistent after undergoing various robustness checks, indicate that Albanian villages, while still preserving their identity and tradition, tend to experience an approximately 2% lower level of income concentration compared to similar Italian municipalities.
Originality/value
Our findings aim to provide supporting evidence for future policy considerations regarding the long-term impact of immigration on income inequality.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
We genuinely thank the Editor Mohsen Bahmani-Oskooee and the anonymous referees for their comments and precious suggestions. We also extend our thanks to Francesco Aiello, Paolo Buonanno, Filippo Domma, Vincenzo Scoppa and the participants of the Workshop “Le disuguaglianze economiche e la distribuzione territoriale del reddito: avanzamenti metodologici ed inefficienza distributive”, held at the University of Calabria, for very their useful comments and suggestions on earlier versions of this paper. The authors gratefully acknowledge research grant “Fondo sostegno aree socio-umanistiche-Cda del 26.03.2021-quota DESF” from the University of Calabria.
Citation
Errico, L., Mosca, A. and Rondinella, S. (2024), "Ethnic minorities and income inequality: the Albanian community in Italy", Journal of Economic Studies, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JES-01-2024-0014
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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