Research on immigration policy preferences in the developed Western world finds near consensual support for highly educated immigrants working in high-skill occupations. These results are commonly interpreted as evidence that anti-immigrant sentiment in these countries has little to do with labor market competition but is instead evidence of a socio-tropic form of reasoning. This view assumes that all immigrants, regardless of skill level, are granted the same rights, including residency, beyond basic civil and labor rights. However, in Singapore, where these assumptions do not apply, this presentation investigates whether the same pro-immigration consensus holds.

Rebecca Wai is a Ph.D. candidate in the Political Science department at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. Her research focuses on how local community institutions can help integrate migrants into host communities. She examines how these institutions increase interaction between migrants and hosts, and foster economically productive cooperation.

Discussant

Elvin Ong, National University of Singapore

Organised in collaboration with

Department of Political Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor