What is the role of dual citizenship in engaging diaspora communities in the economic and political development of home countries? Diasporas have often been viewed suspiciously as having ‘abandoned the nation’ and, as result, dual citizenship has traditionally been regulated restrictively in many parts of the world. Yet, in a world where restrictions on choice of citizenship are seen as increasingly arbitrary and migrants commonly maintain active social, economic, and political links with their origin country, political elites are pressured to acknowledge the contributions of overseas communities to the development of their home country and to allow expat communities to retain their citizenship of origin when naturalising abroad.
While dual citizenship is nowadays accepted in three-quarters of all countries around the world, it remains contested as sentiments against diaspora incorporation are easily mobilised, among those home country populations who are ‘left behind’ and view dual citizenship as a cost-free status symbol of global mobility. Moreover, how much can be expected from expats who typically do not pay taxes and may be less interested in homeland governance than resident citizens?
The webinar is scheduled for 23 March 2020 at 18.00 – 19.30 CET. It will be chaired by Maarten Vink (European University Institute) and will include presentations by Jen Dickinson (University of Winchester), David Leblang (University of Virginia), Daniel Naujoks (Columbia School of International and Public Affairs), and Robtel Neajai Pailey (London School of Economics and Political Science). The full programme is available here.
The webinar will be organised in a roundtable format with four speakers who are asked to address three sets of questions. In a first round, we discuss the extent to which diaspora communities have pushed for the recognition of dual citizenship and how political elites, in various geographic and political contexts, have responded to such calls, including attempts of ‘remote control’ over overseas populations. In a second round, we assess what we know about whether dual citizenship does, indeed, contribute to home country economic and political development and, if so, in what ways? Finally, in a third round, we discuss the evolution of global policy environments and question whether dual citizenship brings into purview new perspectives on diaspora governance and development. There will be time for Q&A from the audience.
The ZOOM link to the Webinar will be provided following REGISTRATION. Deadline for registration: 22 March.
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