Working Paper: NBER ID: w23661
Authors: David N. Figlio; Umut Zek
Abstract: The world is experiencing the second largest refugee crisis in a century, and one of the major points of contention involves the possible adverse effects of incoming refugees on host communities. We examine the effects of a large refugee influx into Florida public schools following the Haitian earthquake of 2010 using unique matched birth and schooling records. We find precise zero estimated effects of refugees on the educational outcomes of incumbent students in the year of the earthquake or in the two years that follow, regardless of the socioeconomic status, grade level, ethnicity, or birthplace of incumbent students.
Keywords: refugees; educational outcomes; Haitian earthquake; Florida public schools; incumbent students
JEL Codes: I20; J10
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| percentage of Haitian refugees in a given school grade (I24) | educational outcomes of existing students (I24) |
| Haitian refugee influx (H84) | educational outcomes of existing students (I24) |
| Haitian refugee influx (H84) | test scores of existing students (C52) |
| Haitian refugee influx (H84) | disciplinary incidents of existing students (Y40) |
| Haitian refugee influx (H84) | student mobility across schools (J62) |