Mexicans and Colombians at Home and Abroad: A Comparative Study of Political Engagement

Abstract

Although a large number of democracies have extended political rights to expatriates, relatively little is known about the depths of transnational political engagement. How attentive are expatriates to politics in the country of origin? When expatriates judge leaders "back home," are their evaluations based on the same ideological considerations as those of citizens in the country of origin? Drawing from original surveys conducted during presidential elections in Mexico (2006) and Colombia (2010), in which both emigrants and citizens within the country were sampled, this study addresses these questions. The results indicate that for each nationality group, living abroad is not associated with a drop in political attentiveness, and time abroad does not in and of itself depress attention to politics from a distance. Moreover, emigrants and individuals in the country of origin do not vary in the extent to which ideological preferences are used to judge presidents, which is a key marker of political sophistication. These results suggest that in the context of Mexican and Colombian politics, living abroad does not markedly diminish the potential for effective democratic engagement. Si bien gran número de democracias han extendido derechos políticos a los emigrantes, se sabe relativamente poco sobre el compromiso político transnacional. ¿Qué tan atentos son los emigrantes a la política del país de origen? ¿Cuándo se juzga a los líderes de este país, la evaluación que les hacen los emigrantes se basa en las mimas consideraciones que los ciudadanos del país de origen? Este estudio aborda estas preguntas utilizando encuestas originales realizadas durante las elecciones presidenciales en México (2006) y en Colombia (2010) y donde ambos, emigrantes y ciudadanos dentro del país de origen, fueron parte del muestreo. El resultado indica que en los dos casos de México y Colombia el vivir fuera del país no está asociado con una baja de la atención a lo político, y que el tiempo vivido por fuera no reduce por si solo esta atención desde la distancia. Aún más, emigrantes e individuos en el país de origen no difieren en la forma de usar las preferencias ideológicas para juzgar a los presidentes, lo que es una marca clave de sofisticación política. Estos resultados sugieren que en el contexto de la política de México y Colombia, vivir afuera no disminuye el potencial de compromiso político democrático.

Electoral turnout of foreign‐born residents in Chile: an analysis with data from the administrative census and opinion polls

“…These findings confirm what McCann et al. (2019) proposed regarding the non‐diminishment of potential democratic engagement when it existed in the country of origin.…”

Political Parties Abroad. A New Arena for Electoral Politics

“…The country of birth and the length of residency in the host country also play a role (Peltoniemi, 2018;Szulecki et al, 2021): studies point to a decline in participation with length of residence abroad (Belchior et al, 2018;Waldinger, 2012). Studies show that interest in home country politics as well as previous political experience in the home country increases the likelihood of voting (Lafleur & Chelius, 2011;McCann et al, 2019;McIlwaine & Bermudez, 2015;Peltoniemi, 2018), yet higher cost of voting (distance to polling station (Peltoniemi, 2018), and higher perceived cost of voting, decrease the probability to vote & Bermudez, 2015;Wass et al, 2021), confirming findings at the aggregate level. Participation in homeland elections is also driven by a sense of duty, patriotism, homesickness, and a desire to reproduce a social milieu abroad (Boccagni, 2011;Boccagni & Ramirez, 2013;Knott, 2017;McCann et al, 2019).…”

Compulsory Voting and Electoral Participation of Latin American Migrants in Belgium, Luxemburg and the Netherlands

“…Similarly, several studies have suggested that non-resident citizens' voter turnout is partly influenced by prior political socialization (pre-emigration) (e.g., Boccagni, 2011;Lafleur & Sánchez-Domínguez, 2015;McCann et al, 2019). Given that civic duty to vote precedes adulthood and might be fostered by political socialization in the family and at school Feitosa et al, 2022;Galais, 2018), pre-emigration political socialization may explain why some countries exhibit relatively high rates of non-resident citizens' voter turnout even if only resident citizens are obliged to vote.…”

“…Burgess & Tyburski, 2020;Ciornei & Østergaard-Nielsen, 2020) or individual level (e.g. Chaudhary, 2018;Himmelroos & Vento, 2022;Lafleur & Sánchez-Domínguez, 2015;McCann et al, 2019;Mügge et al, 2021;Peltoniemi, 2018). Earlier research has connected non-resident citizens' voter turnout to (in)formal channels of sociopolitical activism across borders, the activities of political parties abroad, the role of migrant civic associations, the voting methods and the characteristics of electoral districts abroad (e.g.…”