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Assimilation through Marriage
Author(s) -
Epstein Gil S.,
Lindner Pomerantz Renana
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
review of international economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.513
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 1467-9396
pISSN - 0965-7576
DOI - 10.1111/roie.12030
Subject(s) - immigration , assimilation (phonology) , cultural assimilation , identity (music) , demographic economics , sociology , economics , political science , law , philosophy , linguistics , physics , acoustics
The degree to which the foreign culture influences the local culture differs across countries. We show how the willingness of locals and immigrants to intermarry influences the culture and the national identity of the host country. Using a search‐theoretic approach we show that, even in situations where migrants and natives prefer to marry within their own community, the search process may lead to intermarriage: either migrants or natives each hold on to their own culture or the immigrants take on the natives' culture. In some situations new cultures develop and the local culture will not survive over time.