HOW DO PLACES MATTER? A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF CHINESE ETHNIC ECONOMIES IN LOS ANGELES AND NEW YORK CITY

Abstract

Through a comparative study of Chinese ethnic economies in the New York and Los Angeles metropolitan areas, this paper examines the role of place in shaping the trajectories of immigrant communities. Substantial differences are identified among immigrant populations and development of ethnic economies between Chinese communities in New York City and Los Angeles, despite their comparable sizes. Rather than attributing the differences to the makeup of subgroups, namely Mainland Chinese versus Taiwanese, the paper pays particular attention to the interactive nature of local context and the dynamics of ethnic population and economies. I analyze the impact of historical origins of the communities, geographical locations, labor markets, urban infrastructure, and social infrastructures on the characteristics of immigrant population. The development of entrepreneurship, ethnic networks, and ethnic capital markets is also discussed as factors perpetuating differences in ethnic economies. Finally, the different levels of integration between international capital and local entrepreneurial activities also serve to further differentiate the two ethnic economies.