Adam Bilinski

Cultural Origins and Immigrant Integration in the West Adam Bilinski

The book is the most comprehensive scholarly overview of the immigrant integration in the Western countries. It evaluates integration of immigrants and their descendants depending on their cultural characteristics, such as religion or national origin. It assesses social, economic, and cultural integration. It covers such topics as immigrants' income, employment, religiosity, values, delinquency, residence, or friendship and intermarriage with Westerners. It also analyses mutual attitudes between Westerners and immigrants (including discrimination), and the consequences of immigrant admission mode (e.g. work vs. refugee protection). Particular attention is devoted to Muslim immigrants. Geographically, the book covers Western Europe in general and major Western countries in more detail (the United States, Germany, Britain, France, Canada, and the Netherlands). The findings come from original research based on surveys and the summary of the relevant academic literature. The work concludes that immigration of some groups, particularly Muslims, has resulted in the emergence of permanent ethnic-like divisions in the West with negative consequences for social cohesion, support for welfare state, and public goods provision. The work completes with a short analysis of Western immigration policies and considerations for their change.