[en] In this paper, we push forward the hypothesis that misalignment between expectations and aspirations crucially affects the educational outcomes of young adults. Using AddHealth, a dataset of 20,774
<br />adolescents between the grades 7-12, we show that the difference in school performance between migrant children and natives lies within the aspirations and expectations that migrant children form. More
<br />specifically, we find that positive misalignment between aspirations and expectations is a driving force
<br />for higher effort and better education outcomes of immigrant teenagers in the USA. This force resolves
<br />the well-known immigrant paradox. Furthermore, this result is specific to migrant children and does not
<br />hold for second-generation migrant pupils.
Disciplines :
International economics
Author, co-author :
Montes Vinas, Ana Cecilia ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance (FDEF) > Department of Economics and Management (DEM)
Zanaj, Skerdilajda ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance (FDEF) > Department of Economics and Management (DEM)
Zanaj, Skerdilajda ; University of Luxembourg > Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance (FDEF) > Department of Economics and Management (DEM)
Language :
English
Title :
The solution of the immigrant paradox: aspirations and expectations of children of migrants
