The chapter provides an empirically grounded theory of how citizenship policies in migrants’ country of origin influence immigrants’ political activities, ethnic interest groups, and ethnic lobbying. Based on the study of India’s citizenship-like diaspora membership status, the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI), this chapter shows that the existence of OCI and the status passages toward OCI affect the political influence of the Indian-American community, as well as the political activities by community actors, especially the degree of community organisation, number of voters and individuals working for political parties, community involvement, and financial contributions. The citizenship-like status accomplishes these effects by increasing naturalisation of ethnic Indians in the USA, by affecting categories of identification with India, as well as by fostering the good-will of individuals and community organisations.

Publication details and link to source: Daniel Naujoks, ‘The Transnational Political Effects of Diasporic Citizenship in Countries of Destination: Overseas Citizenship of India and Political Participation in the United States’, in Diaspora as Cultures of Cooperation, ed. by David Carment and Ariane Sadjed, Springer 2017.