Abstract

We study the eect of immigration restrictions on the cultural as- similation of the second generation of migrants. In our theoretical model without restrictive policies, those individuals with a stronger taste for their native culture choose to emigrate temporarily. When restrictive policies are employed however, these individuals are incentivized to relocate per- manently. Permanent emigration implies procreation in the destination country and the transmission of cultural traits to the second generation, who will therefore nd assimilation more dicult. We test this predic- tion by using the 1973 immigration ban in Germany (Anwerbestopp) as a quasi-experiment, since it only concerned immigrants from countries out- side the European Economic Community, which provide us with a suitable treatment group. Our estimates show that the Anwerbestopp has reduced the cultural assimilation of the second generation. This result is robust to several checks, including a triple-dierence analysis. We conclude that restrictive immigration policies may have the unintended consequence of delaying the intergenerational process of cultural assimilation