Citizenship Beyond Borders: A Cross‐National Study of Dual Citizenship*

Abstract

As global integration increases, the implications for state boundaries and citizens’ identity grow more significant. Some scholars suggest that the recognition of dual citizenship reveals the extent to which cross‐national immigration requires states to formally recognize a multiplicity of national identities through dual citizenship (Aleinikoff and Klusmeyer 2002; Castles and Davidson 2000; Falk 1994). We propose that scholars need to additionally consider citizenship identity as a source of national assimilation of the international community and postnational citizenship in world culture (Brubaker 1992a; Faist 2004; Soysal 1994; Turner 2001). We use logistic regression to evaluate this argument by examining factors that lead states to enact legislation recognizing dual citizenship. The resulting analysis suggests that the recognition of dual citizenship reflects national, ex‐colonial, and postnational cultural identities rather than the presence of cross‐national immigration.

The Politics of Home: Dual Citizenship and the African Diaspora

“…It is common when comparing African countries to consider whether present‐day laws reflect different colonial legacies. On this issue, as seen above, Dahlin and Hironaka (2008) find that ex‐colonies are more likely to recognize dual citizenship. Nearly all African countries were colonies, so this factor does not explain variation within the region, but it is possible that different European powers left distinct legal codes that led to different policies on dual citizenship.…”

“…Moving beyond the distinction between countries of immigration and countries of emigration, Dahlin and Hironaka (2008) offer one of the few quantitative analyses of the factors that lead governments to grant dual citizenship rights. Drawing on a dataset of 102 countries around the world, they find little support for the notion that countries with larger foreign‐born populations face greater pressure to recognize dual citizenship.…”

“…Jus soli policies are viewed as more inclusive because they allow children of non‐citizens to become citizens at birth (Faist, Gerdes, and Rieple, 2004). Although seemingly less relevant for sending countries than receiving ones, assimilative policies have been associated with a more permissive approach to dual citizenship more broadly (Dahlin and Hironaka, 2008). In Africa, however, there seems to be no relationship between these two dimensions.…”

“…8 8 Dahlin and Hironaka (2008) define an assimilative policy as one in which just one parent (not both) must be a citizen in order for the child to be granted citizenship. …”

The Determinants of Cross‐National Variation in Migrants’ Access to Rights

“…This finding resonates with that of Bertocchi and Strozzi (:111) who look more broadly at changes in citizenship laws and find that in the period between 1975 and 2001, about 80 percent (129/162) of states experienced no change. The large‐N cross‐national data used in this study are the best that are currently available, and have been used by other scholars (see Bertocchi and Strozzi ; Dahlin and Hironaka ; Rhodes and Harutyunyan ; Weil ). Nevertheless, future research should strive to collect more systematic data on citizenship and naturalization laws across states and time to capture potential longitudinal dynamics.…”