Through their laws on citizenship and electoral rights, states determine who belongs to the people in whose name they govern and for whom they assume responsibility vis-à-vis other states. Citizenship is thus a fundamental feature of the international state system and is frequently contested in domestic and international politics. The Global Citizenship Observatory (GLOBALCIT) is an online observatory and research network committed to fact-based and non-partisan analysis of citizenship laws and electoral rights around the globe.
GLOBALCIT addresses the need to understand the varieties of citizenship laws and policies in a globalised world, where national perspectives no longer suffice to explain the transformations of membership. It provides reliable and comparative data on the content, causes and consequences of the laws that govern the acquisition and loss of citizenship and the franchise. It enables scholars, policy-makers, and the general public to critically analyse how citizenship connects people across international borders.
GLOBALCIT publishes databases, analyses, indicators and debates on citizenship status and electoral rights. It relies on a large international network of country experts who write country reports, collect legal documents and provide input for our comparative databases. Its user-friendly interactive tools enable the comparison of data across countries and over time.
GLOBALCIT brings together the expertise of the Global Citizenship research area of the Global Governance Programme at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies at the European University Institute, the University of Edinburgh and the Maastricht Center for Citizenship, Migration and Development (MACIMIDE). They are represented by the four co-directors of the observatory, Rainer Bauböck, Jelena Dzankic, Jo Shaw and Maarten Vink.
GLOBALCIT builds on the work of its predecessor, EUDO Citizenship, and is supported by the Global Governance Programme at the European University Institute, as well as by research grants from the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Research Council and the British Academy. Current and previous collaborations include projects with the University College Dublin, the Migration Policy Group and the Centre for European Policy Studies in Brussels, UNHCR, the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities and Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. GLOBACIT continuously explores partnerships with other international organisations and research institutes that contribute to our goal of promoting research on citizenship around the globe.
