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Immigrant Inclusion & Racial Justice

June 2011

By Rob Paral and Associates

Please note: reports dated earlier than June 2020 were published under our previous names: the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) or the USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII).

Los Angeles County is home to an immigrant population of nearly 3.5 million, and how well those immigrants are integrated into society will have a major effect on the region’s future. This report examined the social and economic progress of major immigrant groups in the region and contributed to the literature by comparing across sending countries.

Rob Paral tracked the progress of Los Angeles immigrants who entered the U.S. during the 1980s and were between 25 and 34 years of age as of the 1990 census. Their situation was measured in 1990, 2000 and 2006–2008 and compared to a benchmark group, native-born whites.  The analysis examined whether socioeconomic gaps between the immigrant groups and the native-born whites appeared to narrow or widen over time. The featured groups represented the county’s largest foreign-born populations: Mexico, El Salvador, Philippines, Guatemala, Korea, Vietnam, China and Taiwan.  In general, immigrants seemed to be integrating, but at very distinct rates by country of origin.

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Measures of Immigrant Integration in Los Angeles County

Read our other publications by research area

    Immigrant Integration & Racial Justice

    Our work on immigrant integration and racial justice brings together three emphases: scholarship that draws on academic theory and rigorous research, data that provides information structured to highlight the process of immigrant integration over time, and engagement that seeks to create new dialogues with government, community organizers, business and civic leaders, immigrants and the voting public to advance immigrant integration and racial equity.

    Economic Inclusion & Climate Equity

    In the area of economic inclusion, we at ERI advance academic theory and practical applications linking economic growth, environmental quality, and civic health with bridging of racial and other gaps; produce accessible and actionable data and analysis through the data tools; and establish research partnerships to deepen and advance the dialogue, planning, and actions around racial equity, environmental justice, and the built environment.

    Social Movements & Governing Power

    ERI’s work in the area of governing power includes: conducting cross-disciplinary studies of today’s social movements, supporting learning and strategizing efforts to advance dialogues among organizers, funders, intermediaries, evaluators, and academics, and developing research-based social change frameworks and tools to inform—and be informed by—real-world, real-time efforts towards a vision of deep change.

    Publications Directory

    In 2020, the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity (PERE) and the USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII) merged to form the USC Equity Research Institute (ERI).

    The full list of publications published under our previous and current names can be found in our publications directory.

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