Edward Elgar Publishing Public Policy and Immigrant Settlement

This book examines the role of immigration policy, and of economic and social policies involved in promoting the settlement of immigrants to Australia. It is based on research of two groups of recent immigrants who arrived six years apart during the 1990s holding a range of family reunion, skill and humanitarian visas. The contributors consider the immigrants' employment experiences, job search behaviour, language skills, health status and housing situations. This analysis is used to assess whether any differences observed between the two groups can be attributed to changes in immigration policy, social policies and labour market conditions. They conclude that policies do matter and that immigration policy has a greater impact than macroeconomic conditions in influencing immigrant settlement outcomes. The first comprehensive study of the relative effects of immigrant selection policy and macroeconomic conditions on immigrant settlement outcomes, this book will be of interest to economists, sociologists, demographers, political scientists and students. Review '. . . this book makes an important contribution to the accountability of the public sector and government, and to these specific aspects of the immigration policy debate.' -- Katherine Gelber, Economic Record'Deborah Cobb-Clark and Siew-Ean Khoo are leading experts in immigration research. Here they have assembled a set of important studies that show how selective immigration policy affects subsequent outcomes for immigrants. The chapters exploit a unique longitudinal dataset that provides new insights into the factors that affect employment status, health and housing by cohort, gender and visa status. This volume sets high standards for immigration research and is essential reading for those interested in immigration policy reforms.' -- Timothy J. Hatton, University of Essex, UK and Australian National University About the Author Edited by Deborah A. Cobb-Clark, School of Economics, The University of Sydney, Australia and Siew-Ean Khoo, formerly Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University, Australia