Search

Using data for the period 1968-2001, this article assesses the influence of partner choice and origin country characteristics on the propensity of immigrants to naturalize in Sweden. Marriage to a foreign-born Swedish citizen increases the naturalization propensity, and its effect increases strongly when the spouse naturalizes during the same year. The analysis suggests that a lower level of civic and political freedom or relative GDP per capita in the individual's country of origin is associated with an elevated probability of naturalization. During the period of study, originating from a country which allows for dual citizenship did not systematically elevate the probability to naturalize; this probability was accentuated, however, if the individual originated from a context characterized by a low degree of civic and political freedom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, a new and intriguing phenomenon developed in Israel: close to 60,000 Israelis applied for citizenship in the Central and Eastern European countries from which their families immigrated. Typically, these new dual citizens have no plans to 'return' to Germany or Poland, nor do they feel any identification with their countries of origin. Instead, they are mainly interested in obtaining a ' European Union passport' and in gaining potential access to the European common market. The paper presents statistics on this unconventional case of dual citizenship, surveys the historical and legal circumstances that produced it and uses material from interviews to explore the meanings and uses that European- Israeli dual citizens attribute to their European passports. Dual citizenship, the findings show, is used by Israelis in various and sometimes unexpected ways: as enhancer of economic opportunities, 'insurance policy,' intergenerational gift, and even as an elitist status symbol. This modality of state belonging can be termed 'passport citizenship': Non-resident citizenship here is stripped of its national meaning and treated as an individual piece of property, which is embodied by the passport and obtained for pragmatic reasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, more countries have started to recognize dual citizenship. Although overlooked in the literature, Africa is part of this trend with more than half of its governments now permitting their nationals to naturalize elsewhere while retaining home country rights. Why have some African countries embraced dual citizenship for emigrants, while others have not? We examine demographic, political, and economic data broadly across the continent and identify few clear patterns. We then explore the cases of Senegal, Ghana, and Kenya, finding that dual citizenship policies are driven as much by politics as they are by economic or security concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global developments in dual citizenship legislation highlight changes to conceptualizations of citizenship by increasing the focus on individual rights. Questions of inclusion and exclusion have been illuminated by the move toward wider acceptance of dual citizenship. To understand global patterns and developments in dual citizenship laws this article analyzes the legislation pertaining to dual citizenship in 115 countries. The results show how dual citizenship is becoming increasingly accepted – a development that has predominantly taken place within the last 20 years. A strong regional pattern is identified, supporting the argument that dual citizenship is spreading in a fashion similar to how the idea of citizenship expanded from Europe in the 19th and 20th centuries. Potential internal and external reasons for this development are discussed and individual countries’ experiences analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the policy and politics of dual nationality in Germany. It contrasts the policy reality, in which dual nationality is tolerated in a wide range of cases, with Germany's continued opposition in principle to this phenomenon. It then analyzes political, cultural and electoral factors to explain why this opposition persists despite these widespread exceptions. In conclusion, the article argues that by continuing formally to oppose dual nationalities, Germany in effect discourages naturalizations and thereby continues to operate a broadly exclusive citizenship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the concept of citizenship has received considerable scholarly attention in recent years, few studies focus on the increasingly prevalent reality of dual citizenship, or full membership - with its respective rights, privileges, and obligations - in two different countries. The main objective of this article is to conceptualize, measure, and classic variation in dual citizenship in the countries of the European Union. I start by recounting the historical opposition to dual citizenship and by describing its emergence in recent decades. I then develop a "Citizenship Policy Index" that accounts for some of the intricacies associated wit citizenship policies in general and dual citizenship policies in particular. I go on to apply these measures to the fifteen "older" EU countries in both the 1980s and the contemporary period - thus allowing for an analysis of the changes that have taken place over the past two decades - while also briefly examining the current policies of the ten new EU members. Overall, the findings point to surprisingly resilient national differences that stand out in contrast to the EU's institutional "harmonization" in so many other areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few decades, dual nationalities worldwide have increased rapidly. This is astonishing when one considers that a few decades ago citizenship and political loyalty to a national political community were considered inseparable. Overall, there has been a bumpy-line trend towards increasing tolerance. Yet, the degree to which dual nationality is tolerated by states differs. Based on the findings of postnational and national perspectives, this analysis proposes to view tolerance and resistance towards dual nationality as a path-dependent process. The questions dealt with are: What are the factors encouraging the generally increasing tolerance towards multiple nationalities? How can cross-national differences regarding de jure and de facto tolerance towards dual nationality be explained? The main tendency over the past decades has been the growing emphasis on individual rights vis-à-vis state prerogatives in liberal democracies. The expansion of de jure tolerance towards dual nationality is due partly to inter-, supra- and national-level developments, which are connected to diverse factors such as gender equity, understandings of nationhood, immigrant incorporation and general characteristics of the political systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article surveys the practice of dual nationality in the Western Hemisphere, particularly as it impacts the naturalization rates of immigrants in the United States. The article begins by looking at the extent and spread of dual nationality provisions and the pathways for its implementation. Next, the article turns to a discussion of the multiple (and at times conflicting) interests -- of immigrants, sending states and receiving states -- in dual nationality. While immigrants and sending countries are in general agreement on the positive benefits of dual nationality, commentators in receiving countries like the United States continue to express deep unease at the spread of dual nationality and its consequences for American citizenship. Are these concerns justified? Not according to U.S. naturalization rates. Data from 1965 to 1997 indicate that immigrants from countries recognizing dual nationality average higher naturalization rates in the United States than countries that do not. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the mid-1970s, when it became clear that some three million of the eleven million foreigners recruited to work in Germany from 1955 to 1973 would not be returning home as expected, German democracy has faced a difficult problem. What would (and should) be the political status of long-term alien residents living in a democratic society that did not consider itself an immigration land? Although it was evident to some that a major consequence of postwar guestworker policy was the creation of a difficult-to-resolve political question, the contention seemed arguable in the mid-1970s. It no longer is so today. The convening of this conference on dual nationality offered incontrovertible evidence of the long-term significance of the political dilemma to German democracy posed by guestworker recruitment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the political and social consequences of non-citizenship on the Hispanic community and describes how the studies in this volume grew from a national applied research project to promote citizenship among immigrant Hispanics. By highlighting the findings of the studies on Latino naturalization contained in this volume, the author suggests some factors that can be promoted to encourage naturalization among long-term resident aliens. Should these efforts be successful, he suggests, the greatest obstacle to political empowerment in the Latino community will be removed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]