Involuntary migration, inequality, and integration: national and subnational influences

Migration is an inherent feature of human history. A rich literature considers the experiences of global migrants across diverse environments. This article, and the special issue of which it is a part, explores such experiences with a focus on inequality between migrants and host populations in countries of settlement.

It asks: why are economic inequalities between these populations deeper and more persistent in some situations than others? How has ‘integration’ in this sense varied across groups and contexts and over time? What factors contribute to such variation? What policies and programmes facilitate better and more equitable economic outcomes for migrants?

We approach these questions through focused and comparative study of two migrant populations (Vietnamese and Afghan) in four Western countries (Canada, Germany, the UK, and the US). We pay particular attention to involuntary migrants, who fled conflict in their home regions beginning in the 1970s–1980s