Economic Theories of Citizenship Ascension

Abstract

This chapter discusses the economic costs and benefits of citizenship acquisition for immigrants, their countries of naturalization and origin. While most studies addressing the economic effects of naturalization focus on costs and mostly benefits for immigrants, there are two important gaps in the literature: the effect of naturalization on residents and overall economy of the destination and home countries. Based on a modern economic model of citizenship ascension, which combines human capital theory and immigration and citizenship policies, the chapter addresses a series of key questions as follows: how and why does the economic citizenship premium vary by gender, immigrant source country, entry path and waiting period for citizenship ascension? And how do specific policies such as dual citizenship in both sending and host countries affect the size of the economic premium for the three parties involved in the process, namely, immigrants and their countries of origin and destination?

Social politics: the importance of the family for naturalisation decisions of the 1.5 generation

“…Standard rational choice models of naturalization decisions include the economic costs and benefits of naturalization as well as a wide range of considerations about the social context, and origin and destination country policies (Yang 1994, DeVoretz andIrastorza 2017). In this framework, the costs and benefits of naturalization will vary with immigrants' age, labour force participation, the strength and allegiance of national identity, as well as nationality laws in both sending and receiving countries.…”

Understanding Membership in a World of Global Migration: (How) Does Citizenship Matter?

“… The presumption is that investment occurs in the new country of citizenship. Alternatively, DeVoretz and Irastorza hypothesize () that immigrants from less developed countries might invest in citizenship to facilitate return migration or a move to a third country, as among European Union member states. …”

Citizenship and Migration

“…Why do some immigrants, in some destination countries, acquire citizenship, whereas others do not? The dominant theoretical perspective in this strand of literature is an economic one, viewing the acquisition of destination country citizenship by migrants as the result of a cost-benefit calculation (Yang, 1994;DeVoretz & Irastorza, 2017). In other words, immigrants weigh up the benefits of naturalisation against the costs of acquiring citizenship, such as having to give up one's origin citizenship or having to pay what amounts to a substantial fee in some countries (e.g.…”