Sociology and Economic: An Analysis of Immigration in the United States - Research Paper Example

Section/# Sociology and Economic: An Analysis of Immigration in the United s The issue and/or topics of immigration are ones that take on a variety of different academic fields in seeking to adequately understand the implications they espouse. The first of these fields is that of sociology. By very definition, immigration is a sociological issue in the fact that it regards the movement and migration of a given individual/family/ or people group into a non-native setting. Likewise, there are strong economic implications for those that are seeking to begin a new life in a host country/non-native environment. Of course the level to which these two factors coalesce is high; however, for the purposes of this brief analysis, the author will seek to understand and describe both of these factors in a somewhat separate and distinct manner so that the nuances of each of these can be understood and appreciated to their full extent. Similarly, this analysis will additionally seek to measure the key pros and cons of the sociological impacts of immigration. The sociological impacts are a function, first and foremost, of the experience and level of interaction/results that the new immigrant(s) receive within the host nation. As such, any analysis of the sociological impacts of new immigrants must first and foremost deal with the issues of race and racism (Chojnicki 323). Although many have lauded the United States as being what has been termed a “post-racial” state as a result of the presidential elections of 2008, this could not be further from the truth. Although great strides have been made throughout the past 60 years with reference to educational reform, civil rights, and affirmative action, a large degree of racism still exists and necessarily hampers the socialization/inclusion of new immigrants within the United States (Hall 202). Although racism is a prominent factor in determining the extent to which new immigrants are able to gain a level of entry into the system, there remain a host of other factors as well. With regards to the single largest benefit of immigration on both the workforce/economy as well as the culture is the varied and diverse influences and backgrounds which are injected into the life blood of the system. In this way, the culture of the United States is able to be re-defined, opened to new ideas, ways of thinking, and perceptions while all the time adding to the melting pot which has helped to make the United States one of the most successful experiments that this world has ever seen (Frasure 4). The strength that has been exhibited as a result of the successive waves of immigration that have taken place within the United States has unquestioningly strengthened the overall moral fiber and institutions that define the United States currently. Furthermore, the multi-ethnic and multi-racial integration of multiple and disparate groups have doubtless helped the United States in its position of super-power as a means to better integrate with and understand the dynamics of the other sectors of the world in which it interacts (White 259). This process is of course imperfect and mistakes are continually made by politicians and administrations that lack regard for the nuanced flavor that such approaches have provided; however, on the whole it has been a massive and noteworthy benefit to the makeup and evolution of the nation. With regards to the distinct economic disadvantages (cons) that immigration portends, it is of no surprise that these will be concentric upon the general lack of opportunity and well paying positions that present themselves to many new immigrants. This is the result of many factors but two of these revolve around the previously mentioned and pervasive racism that continues to define the political and economic landscape of the United States as well as the fact that many new immigrants lack the key skills necessary to fit the key needs that many employers demand. Although little can be done with regards to preparing new immigrants for the necessary work skills that the United States job market requires, it is however an ongoing struggle to engage with the anti-immigration crowd and seek to allay and reduce the borderline racist rhetoric they espouse. A secondary economic drawback to the life that new immigrants are forced to live within the United States is the result of the juxtaposition of the two factors that have been listed (Orrenius et al 545). Due to a pervasive belief among many employers that a given group is specifically for providing cheap labor with few inputs or skills to offer, the given demographic begins to suffer from a stereotypicalization which actively defines what the members of the group can and cannot do based on no concrete logic asides from the pre-conceived notions of the general population/employers. In this way, a type of rigid construct that all X type of people are necessitated to seek out careers in job function Y, a very rigid constraint is affixed to the way in which people oftentimes perceive new immigrants as a function of the total jobs skills and talents they espouse (Bankstrom 89). From the perspective of the employer, the influx of labor has provided to keep the United States economy afloat in times that it would otherwise likely flounder. Although the purpose of this section is not to make a moral judgment with regards to whether this practice is admissible, it is noteworthy that such a practice has helped to buoy the industrial development of the United States economy in times that other Western countries are rapidly losing their industrial wherewithal (Ostrovsky et al 27). This is at least partly due to the fact that many of the incoming immigrants come from nations in which industrialization is still strong and/or taking place and they are gifted with the skills that employers seek to fulfill (Hanson 27). However, as previously stated, the pervasive ideals regarding racism and stereotypicalization of immigrants skill sets serves to lay out a situation in which oftentimes employers seek to take advantage of the needs of their immigrant workforce. Oftentimes due to the fact that employers believe that their immigrant workforce is loyal and bound to their firm as a function of the fact that jobs are difficult to come by in the current economy, employers reinforce many of the negative behaviors that have thus far been described within this brief analysis. Although analysis has worked to describe a number of pros and cons that face immigrants in the United States from a sociological and economic perspective, the true nature of the immigrant experience is far more nuanced than such a brief analysis could hope to capture. However, from the facts that have been briefly analyzed the situation corresponds to the central issues that immigrants and natives are continuing to experience many of the same difficulties that have helped to define the nation’s fabric up until this point in time. Regardless of the causal mechanisms that continue to define the sociological and economic success of the immigrant experience, a great degree of this success continues to be based on the pervasive sense of racism that continues to determine labor market trends and employer determinations with respect to the way that certain individuals from different backgrounds can and will fit into the firm in question. Unless such attitudes are actively engaged to a greater degree of success than has been currently experienced, it is highly likely that the situation will continue to be a pervasive and defining issue with reference to the immigrant experience and minority immigrant populations within the United States. Works Cited Hanson, Gordon H. "Immigration And Economic Growth." CATO Journal 32.1 (2012): 25-34. Academic Search Premier. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. Bankston, Carl L. Encyclopedia Of American Immigration. n.p.: Salem Press, 2010. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 17 Oct. 2012. Chojnicki, Xavier, Frederic Docquier, and Lionel Ragot. "Should The US Have Locked Heaven's Door?." Journal Of Population Economics 24.1 (2011): 317-359. Academic Search Premier. Web. 17 Oct. 2012. Frasure, Lorrie Ann. "The Determinants Of Recent Immigrant And Ethnic Minority Suburbanization In 'Melting Pot' Metros." Conference Papers -- American Political Science Association (2005): 1-41. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. Hall, Joshua C., Benjamin J. VanMetre, and Richard K. Vedder. "U.S. Immigration Policy In The 21St Century: A Market-Based Approach." CATO Journal 32.1 (2012): 201-220. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. ORRENIUS, PIA M., and MADELINE ZAVODNY. "The Effect Of Minimum Wages On Immigrants' Employment And Earnings." Industrial & Labor Relations Review 61.4 (2008): 544-563. Business Source Premier. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. OSTROVSKY, YURI, HOU FENG, and GARNETT PICOT. "Do Immigrants Respond To Regional Labor Demand Shocks?." Growth & Change 42.1 (2011): 23-47. Academic Search Complete. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. White, Roger. "Exploring A US Immigrant–Intra-Industry Trade Link." Eastern Economic Journal 34.2 (2008): 252-262. Business Source Premier. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. Read More