In Citizenship Beyond Nationality, Luicy Pedroza considers immigrants who have settled in democracies and who live indistinguishably from citizens—working, paying taxes, making social contributions, and attending schools—yet lack the status, gained either through birthright or naturalisation, that would give them full electoral rights. Referring to this population as denizens, The author asks what happens to the idea of democracy when a substantial part of the resident population is unable to vote? Her aim is to understand how societies justify giving or denying electoral rights to denizens.

Luicy Pedroza, Citizenship Beyond Nationality. Immigrants’ Voting Rights Across the World, Penn University Press, 2019.