“Asylum Seekers in Canada and the United States: Does Country of Origin Matter?”
Sabbatical Talk
Tamara Woroby, Department of Economics
FRIDAY, MAY 4 | TIME: 11 A.M. | ROOM: ST 115
Part of the College of Business and Economics’ Development & Research Conference
Abstract: Traditionally, both Canada and the United States have been viewed as safe countries of refuge. Each country, in turn, has set its own criteria and procedures for granting refugee status to an asylum seeker. By examining recent asylum applications filed in both countries, this paper seeks to understand whether a person who decides to seek asylum in North America will choose Canada or the United States. To what extent is this entirely an individual choice, and to what extent can we see patterns, especially based on country of origin? We do this by incorporating a multivariate regression analysis, with the number of asylum applications by country of origin as the dependent variable. (This variable reflects who chooses to seek refuge rather than who is granted refuge, which would be reflected in number of asylum cases granted.) The hypothesized explanatory variables include specific economic characteristics of the sending country, demographic features of each, and perceived cultural differences/similarities with the receiving country.
