Paper #1865

Title:

Fascist ideology and migrant labor exploitation

Authors:

Mario Carillo, Gemma Dipoppa and Shanker Satyanath

Date:

June 2023

Abstract:

Official reports from the International Labor Organization have been increasingly highlighting the pervasive presence of forced labor, especially involving migrants, in the developed world. There is, however, little work explaining the demand-side determinants of modern forced labor. We address this gap by focusing on variations in modern forced labor within a single developed country (Italy). Regression discontinuity and triple differences designs show that modern forced labor is strongly associated with prior exposure to the ideology of the Italian Fascist regime (1922-43) which emphasized the subjugation of non-white ethnic groups (the primary subjects of forced labor).

Keywords:

political extremism, ideology, labor coercion, migration

JEL codes:

J7, J15, J81, O15, P00, Z00

Area of Research:

Political Economy

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