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Previous research has shown that immigrants tend to be healthy young adults with (generally) higher levels of human capital than their equivalent countrymen. This profile makes sense considering that any given voluntary immigrant must have both the resources to overcome the barriers to migration and a goal that migration will help achieve. In contrast, refugees (initially at least) have little to no influence to the circumstances surrounding their re-location. However, do these initial differences in origin and process have significant effects on refugees as they seek employment in the United States? This research will first examine and compare certain demographic characteristics of both refugees and voluntary migrants currently living in the United States in order to come to a better understanding of the similarities and differences of these populations. The second section of this paper will use regression analysis to compare the employment outcomes of refugees and voluntary migrants while controlling for education, work experience, gender as well as other relevant variables. This research will demonstrate that even at similar levels of human capital, refugees are significantly disadvantaged economically compared to voluntary migrants. This analysis will be accomplished using the data contained in the 2003 New Immigrant Survey (NIS), and will differentiate between refugees and voluntary migrants based upon their visa classification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nineteenth century European Imperialism has long been considered by sociologists of all ideological stripes to be a crucial event in shaping our modern world. By many accounts it ranks along side the industrial revolution in its historical importance. Because of this, 19th century imperialism was viewed as a manifestation of the large-scale social changes these researchers were basing their theories around. This meant that imperialism was seen as a singular event which could be directly attributed to macro level forces. This has meant that 19th century imperialism has been interpreted as the inevitable result of competition between stronger and weaker societies (Spencer), the logical progression of commercial interests looking to secure new markets (Marx), or the expansion of organic social structures around the world (Durkheim). This paper will examine this assertion against a historically based approach that views the events of this period as being the result of the actions of many various events. It will examine the political, economic, and social aspects of these events, within their local contexts. Additionally, as this paper is envisioned as part of a larger work, the primary focus will be on the European actors of this period. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]