ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews evidence about two aspects of the immigrants/welfare issue. The first relates to the description of cross-national differences in social welfare as an institution. To estimate the size and impact of these differences, comparative data from the Luxembourg Income Study are used to measure income redistribution due to progressive taxation and government cash transfer payments. The second aspect relates to welfare eligibility and use by immigrants in each country. The chapter provides a preliminary assessment of the variables involved, based on comparative data from existing sources. The specific policies included under the rubric of social welfare may vary in their redistributive impacts. Labor market outcomes are affected by the family as a social institution. Income distribution studies often measure incomes at the family or household level and then estimate impacts on individuals by taking account of the way that economic welfare may be distributed within the family or household unit.
