Abstract

This study tests an assumption of refugee resettlement policy: Refugees are dependent on welfare. Using administrative data from a county government, we compare the probability of receiving welfare for an extended time between refugees and citizens. We use receiving state-funded welfare benefits as an indicator of long-term reliance on welfare, as families lose eligibility for federally-funded benefits after 60 months on welfare. Logit regressions find that refugees are significantly less likely to receive state-funded welfare than citizens, controlling for family head’s characteristics and family composition. Analysis results discredit public fears of long-term fiscal burden from refugees’ welfare dependency.

摘要

本研究检验了难民安置政策的假设：难民依赖福利。使用来自县政府的行政数据，我们比较了难民和公民在较长时间内获得福利的概率。我们使用接受国家资助的福利作为长期依赖福利的指标，因为家庭在获得福利 60 个月后失去了获得联邦资助的福利的资格。Logit 回归发现，在控制了户主的特征和家庭组成的情况下，难民获得国家资助的福利的可能性明显低于公民。分析结果抹黑了公众对难民依赖福利带来的长期财政负担的担忧。