Preface -- 1. Introduction. The Argument in a Nutshell ; The Evidence ; Why Study Germany ? ; Broader Impacts ; Plan of the Book -- 2. Reducing Social Distance, Reducing Bias. Confronting Parochialism ; Dilemmas of Inclusion ; Concepts ; Overcoming the Native-Immigrant Divide ; Norms and Intergroup Conflict ; Hypotheses & Mechanisms -- 3. Measuring Bias and Discrimination. Attitudes ; Measuring Anti-immigrant Attitudes in Germany ; Capturing Anti-immigrant Behavior in the Field ; Discussion -- 4. Linguistic Assimilation. Native Preference for Linguistic Assimilation ; The Importance of Language in German Identity ; Experimental Intervention ; Main Findings ; Discussion -- 5. Shared Civic Norms. Cleanliness ; Experimental Design ; Results ; Discussion -- 6. Gender Equality. Women at the Core of Value Conflict with Islam ; Group-derived Norms ; Experimental Evidence from the Field ; Results ; Attitudinal Differences between Men and Women ; What Does the Hijab Signify? ; Discussion -- 7. Viewing "Them" as One of "Us". Research Design ; Main Findings ; Discussion -- 8. Overcoming Discrimination. Contributions to the Literature ; Contributions to Methods ; Contributions to Theory ; Contributions to Policy Design ; Next Steps -- Appendix.
Summary:
"As migration to Europe has increased, so too has discrimination again immigrant populations. Countries across the EU have supported and instituted policies to force assimilation as part of a larger regional fear that immigration from Muslim majority cultures, especially, will threaten Europeans' national identities and increase the risk of radicalization. The common wisdom has been that immigrants must change their appearance, their religion, or their language in an attempt to "pass" as members of the majority. Through a series of innovative field experiments, the authors show that assimilationist strategies are not the only or even the best way to reduce biases: rather, discrimination is reduced when immigrants and natives share social norms that define a common identity as citizens. The core of the empirical work was done in a series of extensive, multi-year experiments in Germany--an ideal site for this work given its large immigrant population and its clearly defined cultural norms. The work showed both what animated discriminatory attitudes (cultural differences, and religious differences in particular), how this animus played out in everyday interactions (a disinclination to offer assistance to immigrant minorities, and religious Muslim immigrants in particular), and what behaviors reduce discrimination. They find--going against much conventional and even scholarly wisdom--that immigrants speaking German face as much discrimination as those using a foreign language. On the other hand, immigrants that uphold social norms (anti-littering or a progressive attitude towards women, for instance) see decreased discrimination. Ultimately, the authors offer a meticulously researched picture of what modern discrimination looks like, how it can be reduced, and the continued burden that immigrants face"-- Provided by publisher. "What drives anti-immigrant bias-and how it can be mitigated. In the aftermath of the refugee crisis caused by conflicts in the Middle East and an increase in migration to Europe, European nations have witnessed a surge in discrimination targeted at immigrant minorities. To quell these conflicts, some governments have resorted to the adoption of coercive assimilation polices aimed at erasing differences between natives and immigrants. Are these policies the best method for reducing hostilities? Native Bias challenges the premise of such regulations by making the case for a civic integration model, based on shared social ideas defining the concept and practice of citizenship.Drawing from original surveys, survey experiments, and novel field experiments, Donghyun Danny Choi, Mathias Poertner, and Nicholas Sambanis show that although prejudice against immigrants is often driven by differences in traits such as appearance and religious practice, the suppression of such differences does not constitute the only path to integration. Instead, the authors demonstrate that similarities in ideas and value systems can serve as the foundation for a common identity, based on a shared concept of citizenship, overcoming the perceived social distance between native and immigrants.Addressing one of the most pressing challenges of our time, Native Bias offers an original framework for understanding anti-immigrant discrimination and the processes through which it can be overcome"-- Provided by publisher.
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