Heterogeneous Naturalization Effects of Dual Citizenship Reform in Migrant Destinations: Quasi-Experimental Evidence from Europe

Abstract

This study estimates the effect of destination country dual citizenship policy on immigrant naturalisation. We develop a quasi-experimental design by exploiting exogenous variation in origin country citizenship legislation to identify the treatment effect of destination country policy reform. We analyse the effect of contrasting reforms in two West European migration destinations: a restrictive change in the renunciation requirement in the Netherlands (1997) and a liberalising change in Sweden (2001). Our difference-in-differences analyses employ microlevel administrative register data on complete migrant populations in the years around these reforms. We find in both cases that the effect of dual citizenship reform is concentrated among immigrants from EU and highly developed countries and those who have arrived recently in the destination country. These findings suggest that cost-benefit considerations condition the effect of destination country dual citizenship reform on immigrants’ naturalisation propensity.

Dual Citizenship and Naturalisation

“…A recent comparative study shows that this pattern also holds true in the context of liberalising dual-citizenship policy in Sweden(Vink et al 2021).…”

“…Drawing on life-course concepts and principles , citizenship acquisition can be understood in a biographical sense, whereby the utility of citizenship is conditioned by migrants' individual, social and institutional circumstances. From that perspective, we argue that not being able to hold dual citizenship primarily constitutes an obstacle to naturalisation for those whose original passport is relatively valuable -such as migrants from the EU or from other highly developed countries (Bevelander et al 2015;Vink et al 2021). Moreover, we expect the relevance of the opportunity to hold dual citizenship to gradually diminish as migrants settle and build their lives in the host country.…”

Dual Citizenship Acceptance and Immigrant Naturalisation Propensity in the Netherlands: The Relevance of Origin- and Destination-Country Rules

“…Yet the gap in naturalisation propensity only closes slowly. Using a quasi-experimental design, Peters and Vink (2021) show that the heterogenous effect of dual citizenship policy change in the Netherlands and Sweden can be causally interpreted.…”

Migration und Staatsbürgerschaft

“…Dazu kommt in den letzten Jahren der zunehmend autoritäre Kurs der Regierung Erdoğan und ihr Versuch, die türkische Diaspora für ihre politischen Anliegen zu mobilisieren. Recht, ein Erbe anzutreten) nicht hinnehmen müssen, so wird es für sie leichter, einen Antrag auf Einbürgerung zu stellen (Peters/ Vink 2021b).…”