Timing Matters: Integration Policies and Local Wealth

This paper examines the impact of migrant integration policies on local wealth, focusing on implementation timing. Leveraging a unique policy measure that converted centers providing temporary reception for refugees into centers aimed at integrating them in the hosting society, we conduct an event study analysis. Our findings reveal that the timing of integration policy is important: implementation during heightened public attention to immigration negatively impacts local wealth. By contrast, Integration interventions implemented during periods of low attention have no impact on wealth. Our findings highlight that the backlash effect of integration policy estimated in the literature might be largely explained by extreme public perceptions of the migration crisis.