Immigration in Spain: what have we learned from recent evidence?

Abstract

This paper summarizes the recent economics literature on the immigration wave experienced by Spain over the last decade. We survey this growing literature and focus on two key questions: what has been the socio-economic performance of immigrants in Spain and how has immigration impacted the native population. On the former, we conclude that there is evidence of large and highly persistent gaps in the economic performance of immigrants relative to natives in Spain. On the latter, the studies surveyed reveal substantial adaptations in economic choices of Spanish natives in a number of dimensions, including the labor market, household production, schooling, and the housing market.