Michael Bernabé Aguilera

Social Capital and the Wages of Mexican Migrants: New Hypotheses and Tests

In this article, we develop hypotheses about the ways in which network ties influence wages and the circumstances under which social capital assumes greater or lesser importance in the determination of migrant earnings. We then test these hypotheses using data on male Mexican migrants gathered by the Mexican Migration Project. We find that social capital has both direct and indirect effects on migrant wages. Indirectly, social capital influences how a job is obtained and whether it is in the formal sector. Directly, having friends and relatives with migratory experience improves the efficiency and effectiveness of the job search to yield higher wages. Moreover, the effects of social capital on wages are greater for undocumented than documented migrants, reflecting the more tenuous labor market position of the former. These results confirm and extend social capital theory and underscore the importance of social networks in understanding the determination of migrant earnings.

The Impact of Social Capital on Labor Force Participation: Evidence from the 2000 Social Capital Benchmark Survey

Objectives. Few studies apply the concept of social capital to labor force participation. In this research, I study the relationship between friendship networks and labor force participation as represented by employment and hours worked. Methods. I test five hypotheses representing social capital with network structure, network quality, and network diversity using nationally representative data from the 2000 Social Capital Benchmark Survey. Since this survey enables comparisons across racial/ethnic and gender groups, I am also able to specify how social capital interacts with race/ethnicity and gender to influence labor force participation, while controlling for other prominent theoretical concerns such as human capital theory. Results. I find that friendship networks are generally positively related with increased labor force participation. Further, I find significant social capital differences based on race/ethnicity and gender. Conclusions. I illustrate that social capital can be applied across a broader racial/ethnic/gender spectrum. The findings suggest that programs that attempt to bring valuable labor market information to individuals and communities lacking employment–related information are likely to be effective in reducing inequality, especially if combined with programs for developing human capital.

The Impact of the Worker: How Social Capital and Human Capital Influence the Job Tenure of Formerly Undocumented Mexican Immigrants

Using the 1992 Legalized Population Survey, I focus on employment matching processes of formerly undocumented Mexican immigrant workers in the United States. As in earlier studies, I show that employment characteristics are related to the job tenures of immigrant workers. However, my contribution is that I specifically analyze how formerly undocumented Mexican immigrant workers’ attributes and social networks influence their job tenures. In general, increases in human capital are associated with shorter job tenure, apparently in an effort to improve employment conditions, while the use of social capital is positively related with job tenure. It appears that acquiring employment is a social process, and those using personal networks find longer lasting jobs. Although prior studies have minimized the role of supply-side characteristics such as employees’ skill level and social networks in influencing job tenure, my research confirms the significance of workers and the resources they bring to the labor market.

The Effect of Legalization on the Labor Markets of Latin American Immigrants: A Gendered Comparison

Abstract The impact of legalization on the labor market outcomes of those Latin American immigrants granted amnesty by the Immigration, Reform, and Control Act of 1986 is considered, paying special attention to differences between men and women. I utilize the Legalized Population Survey (1988 and 1992) to test several hypotheses taken from the literature about legalization. Contrary to previous research indicating that legalization was beneficial only to male immigrants, I show that legalization improved the labor market outcomes of both men and women using several measures of improvement. I also show that returns to human capital significantly increased after legalization for both Latin American males and females.

Who Benefits? The Interactional Determinants of Microfinance’s Varied Effects

Abstract Since its emergence as a development tool, scholars and practitioners have questioned microfinance’s short- and long-term impacts but have had insufficient empirical evidence to assess them. To address this gap, this paper draws on mixed method research to assess the effects of microfinance loan and educational services over time. It explores why, even within the same microfinance institution (MFI), some borrowers benefit from microfinance services more than others in the short-term, and examines how this translates into long-term impacts. The article identifies understudied sources of intra-group variation: the diversity and choices of borrowers and MFI employees interacting with each other and their broader contexts.

Chinese Human Smuggling Organizations: Families, Social Networks, and Cultural ImperativesBy Sheldon X. Zhang Stanford University Press. 2008. 182 pages.

it would be this: Given the critical assessments of evangelical race relations by other scholars (people such as Rudy Busto and Antony Alumkal), why is she so optimistic about the possibilities for a multi-racial, multi-ethnic evangelicalism? In both the introduction and the conclusion, Ecklund provides us with a possible answer, twice noting that non-white Americans will make up more than 50 percent of the population by the year 2050. Imagine a day when minorities make up 50 percent of American evangelicalism and the notion of a new evangelical racial consciousness becomes more plausible. In the same chapter, Ecklund reports that the number of Asian Americans enrolled in American seminaries increased 60 percent in the years 1991 through 1995. Yet demography does not tell the whole story. For demographic shifts to make a difference, they must be interpreted through new cultural schemas (like the ones Ecklund discusses in the book). Whether these new models will be adopted by other evangelicals remains to be seen. It may take a generation or two before the evangelical subculture comes to grips with the new religious immigrants. In the meantime, Ecklund has helped us imagine the possibilities for a new, multi-racial evangelicalism.