Economics Research Seminar – Professor Steven Stillman

Title: Us Yesterday, Them Today: Leveraging Emigration History to Promote Pro-Immigrant Attitudes

Date: 25 September 2024

Time: 13:30 – 14:30

Venue: NUBS.4.23

If you would like to attend, please register using the following link:

Us Yesterday, Them Today: Leveraging Emigration History to Promote Pro-Immigrant Attitudes

Speaker:  Professor Steven Stillman

STEVEN STILLMAN, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano https://www.unibz.it/en/faculties/economics-management/academic-staff/person/36390-steven-stillman I received my PhD in Economics from the University of Washington in 2000. Prior to moving to Italy in 2016, I was a Professor of Economics at the University of Otago in New Zealand. My research focuses on empirical labour economics, specialising in the behaviour of individuals and households, and the interplay between government policy and human behavior. I have done extensive work examining the impact of migration on immigrants and their families exploiting a lottery used to allocate migrant quota slots. In recent work, I have also examined voting behavior along a number of dimensions and how individuals have responded to changes in a number of policies, including minimum wages, the drinking age and doctor’s fees.

Abstract:

In recent years, immigration has become an increasingly polarized political issue across European countries and attitudes toward immigrants have worsened. Italy in particular has witnessed a notable increase in support for far-right parties. We use a randomized design to examine whether it is possible encourage more inclusionary attitudes through the use of perspective taking. In a representative online survey, some participants are given a very simple priming about their family history of emigration. Individuals who receive this treatment are more likely to say that immigrants make Italy a better place to live. Treatment effects are strongest for individuals who report themselves as being right-wing in their political positions and those with close family who emigrated in the past.