Explain how migrants impact the political system in brief.
Answers
Most of the literature on the drivers of globalization has focused on trade and financial flows. The third driver—international migration—has until recently received relatively little attention, and much of this has focused on immigration (driven by the concerns of developed countries). Most of the current research on migration focuses on three broad areas: (a) the social, economic, and political effects on the destinations (cities, societies, countries); (b) the variegated and complex effects on migrants and their families; and (c) the social and cultural effects on sending communities and the economic effects of financial remittances. One area, however, that has received less attention is the political effects of migration on migrants' places of origin—their villages, towns, and countries. The present article addresses this lacuna.
The article examines the political consequences of international migration on the migrant's country of origin. It first discusses some data and measurement issues regarding international migration. The next section lays out an analytical framework outlining four key channels through which migration's political consequences play out. The (independent) variables that attenuate or amplify these effects are then described. Subsequently, the article examines some key political consequences of international migration: its effects on political economy, its impact on conflict, and its institutional effects, focusing on political institutions as well as nationalism and citizenship. The penultimate section points out the importance of temporality in understanding the long-term effects of international migration. The article concludes with some questions for
Answer:
Political leaders’ positions on the issue of immigration can be an important determinant of their electoral success or failure. Immigration took center stage in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and its aftermath, as now‐president Donald Trump took strong stands on illegal immigration, the construction of a border wall, refugees from Syria, and “sanctuary cities.” The Brexit vote in the United Kingdom and recent political elections in Germany (2017) and Italy (2018) have highlighted the controversial political role of immigration and the electoral success of strong anti‐immigration stands. That immigration has an effect on political outcomes has been pointed out in the academic literature. Yet, to our knowledge, no empirical study has looked at the direct connection between election outcomes and immigration in the United States. We tackle this question by analyzing the link between immigration and the vote share received by the Republican Party, across U.S. counties and over time, in the 20‐year election cycle between 1990 and 2010.