Jeffrey Bilik

Jeff Bilik is a sociologist of immigration and housing. He is interested in how delegating citizenship and welfare administration to private actors affects migrant outcomes. His research addresses why private citizens in formerly socialist societies have surprisingly become authoritative gatekeepers for welfare and migrant legal status.

His dissertation focuses on Russia, the fourth largest global destination for migrant labor, and traces how private homeowners have come to redefine national boundaries and maintain migrant exclusion.