Co-national Networks, Peer Effects, and the Use of Childcare among Refugees in Denmark

• In Event: Migration and Peer Effects

Abstract

While early enrollment in daycare yields significant benefits for migrant children, migrant families tend to use formal childcare at lower rates than native families This paper examines how neighborhoods shape migrant parents' decisions to enroll their children in formal daycare in Denmark. We leverage a Spatial Dispersal Policy that quasi-randomly assigned refugees to neighborhoods with varying sizes and compositions of co-national networks. Our findings show that refugees placed in neighborhoods with larger co-national networks are significantly less likely to enroll their children in formal childcare. In contrast, exposure to neighborhoods with higher rates of childcare use among residents increases uptake among refugees. We provide suggestive evidence that co-national networks reinforce traditional gender norms, contributing to these patterns. These results highlight the role of social networks and local norms in shaping childcare decisions among migrants. 

Author

• Reem Zaiour, Vanderbilt University
  Presenting Author