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From participants to citizens? Democratic voting rights and naturalization behavior

Author

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  • Slotwinski, Michaela
  • Stutzer, Alois
  • Bevelander, Pieter

Abstract

We study the causal effect of the possibility to vote on foreigners propensity to naturalize, a key indicator of successful integration. Based on Swedish administrative data and an institutional setting producing a quasi-random assignment of the eligibility to vote, we find that the overall effect depends on the composition of the migrant population. For immigrants from places with poor living conditions, we observe that the experience of non-citizen voting rights substantially increases their propensity to naturalize. In contrast, for those coming from places with a high standard of living, the same experience reduces it. Both reactions clearly reveal that individuals assign a positive value to formal democratic participation rights. While the behavior of the former group is likely dominated by the motivational force inherent in the possibility to participate, the behavior of the latter group reflects the devaluation of formal citizienship if it is decoupled from democratic rights.

Suggested Citation

  • Slotwinski, Michaela & Stutzer, Alois & Bevelander, Pieter, 2020. "From participants to citizens? Democratic voting rights and naturalization behavior," ZEW Discussion Papers 20-055, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:zewdip:20055
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    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/225279/1/1736244124.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Zimmermann, Severin & Stutzer, Alois, 2022. "The consequences of hosting asylum seekers for citizens’ policy preferences," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    2. Alois Stutzer & Michaela Slotwinski, 2021. "Power sharing at the local level: evidence on opting-in for non-citizen voting rights," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 1-30, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    citizenship; migration; naturalization; value of voting; voting rights;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D02 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Institutions: Design, Formation, Operations, and Impact
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • K37 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Immigration Law

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