Which mechanism most directly explains the growth of ethnic enclaves?

• A. Urban policy to concentrate populations
• B. Chain migration
• C. Language homogenization
• D. Economic integration

Answer: (B)

Chain migration explains how ethnic enclaves grow because people move to join family and friends who already settled there, creating a self-reinforcing network. New arrivals benefit from established social ties, housing options, and job leads provided by the existing community, which lowers the cost and risk of relocation. As more relatives and co-ethnics follow, the enclave becomes larger and more tightly concentrated in a specific neighborhood or district. This pattern—spiraling growth driven by kinship and community networks—is the most direct mechanism for the development and expansion of ethnic enclaves.

Urban policy to concentrate populations can influence where people live, but the ongoing, network-driven expansion of an enclave happens most directly through these social ties. Language homogenization tends to reduce linguistic diversity and doesn’t drive the growth of a distinct neighborhood. Economic integration spreads people across the broader economy and suburbs rather than concentrating them into a single ethnic enclave.