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The chapter discusses four theories to explain attitudes on immigration: economic group conflict theory, the cultural group conflict theory, the ingroup favoritism and the contact hypothesis. Attitudes held by migrants on immigration are highly illuminating as an empirical test for these theories. Migrants having entered the respective country previously are more economically threatened than the autochthon population, thus migrants would reject further immigration more than non-migrants. On the other hand, they are culturally less threatened which should result in attitudes more open to further immigration among migrants. Ingroup favoritism should result in more openness for immigration among migrants. The same applies for the contact hypothesis which implies a reduction of negative sentiments towards immigrant communities. Using the European Social Survey that covers attitudes towards immigration from European countries and non-European countries, testing countries of same race/ethnic origin and different race/ethnic origin, the findings are not fully coherent across European countries, however there is considerable evidence against the economic group conflict theory, while a decision between the other three theories is not possible.

This chapter examines the demographic and economic change that has affected Los Angeles in recent years, and people of color in particular, as well as the economic conflict and racial and ethnic tension caused by the influx of Latino immigrants to the city. In particular, it considers the complaint that immigrants are taking jobs from African Americans and how community-based organizations are addressing this issue. The chapter first reviews the demographic change that has brought African Americans and Latinos into close geographic, and ultimately political, proximity in Los Angeles. It suggests that the effects of Latino immigrants on black employment are overstated, and that those suffering the most harm from immigrant labor market competition may actually be U.S.-born Latinos. The chapter also highlights black-brown coalitions, especially the efforts of some groups such as Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE) to develop leadership, including that of youth. Finally, it describes how multiracial and transformative organizing for social justice has helped restore a sense of hope about both the economy and race relations in Los Angeles.

In Chapters 4, 10, and 13, the book has presented the economic, the psychic, and the social world respectively. The first shows the economic mechanism of (optimal) allocation of scarce goods. The second models the typical psychic conflict between the actual self and the true self, the outcome of which rules emotions, feelings, and thoughts. According to this mechanism every person is irrational to some degree. The social world models the typical social conflict, the outcome of which establishes a generally accepted status ranking of groups. In this world every person is moral to a certain extent. In this chapter we integrate the three worlds, thereby creating a world in which people try to maximize their wealth, their social status, and their self-respect. This integrated world is much more realistic, and can therefore better serve as a theoretical foundation that is able to understand and explain the (empirical) world.

This chapter examines the case of Northern Ireland and shows how engaged transnational corporations can help move a country from violence to peace when domestic firms lack either the strength or the will to do so. The sectarian conflict, which dates back hundreds of years, has always had economic roots and consequences. It makes sense then, that corporations, as the main drivers of modern economic exchange, would be a large part of the answer. The chapter looks at how companies like Fruit of the Loom, Allstate, and Seagate Technology have helped create the economic opportunities that are necessary to help Northern Ireland maintain a peaceful future.

This chapter reviews the consequences of exploitative strategies for individual behavior, social structure, and design of institutions. It outlines how natural selection should act to construct behavioral connections that maximize benefits and minimize costs of sociality for individuals. Individuals are predicted to show specific leaving or joining decision rules that will construct groups composed of complementary strategies; alternatively, they should be plastic in response to their social environment, which can lead to conditional strategies and social niche construction. What happens on an individual level impacts, in turn, social structures: individual interactions with specific (known) individuals may result in “groupiness” and reduce uncertainty in interactions. Economic conflict theory provides a framework to predict exploitative behavior between groups. Better understanding of exploitation at these different levels may permit the payoffs of specific interactions to be adjusted, thus reducing the negative impacts on a system.