139 MIGRATION AND TRUST: EVIDENCE FROM WEST GERMANY AFTER UNIFICATION
- Seong Hee Kim and Byung-Yeon Kim
- sier_139.pdf
Abstract
This study uses the German socio-economic panel data to investigate the effects of mass migration of East Germans on the generalized trust of West Germans who experienced the aftermath of the unification. Results suggest that West Germans’ trust is negatively correlated with migration, but the persistent effect is only confined to participants in the labor markets at the time. The subsequent analysis finds that perceiving migrants as labor market competitors is a possible channel through which trust is negatively affected.
Keywords: Trust; Migration; Germany; Unification
JEL classification: A13; J15; O15; P20