Citizenship and Integration

Christina Gathmann and Julio Garbers
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Julio Garbers: LISER

No 15786, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Several European countries have reformed their citizenship policies over the past decades. There is much to learn from their experience of how citizenship works; for whom it works; and what rules and policies matter for integration. The article surveys recent quasi-experimental evidence and field experiments from the social sciences on the link between eligibility rules, take-up and integration outcomes. Across countries and reforms, the evidence shows that faster access to citizenship increases take-up and improves the economic, educational, political and social integration of immigrants. Other eligibility rules like civic knowledge tests or application fees also impact who naturalizes and therefore benefits from citizenship. Birthright citizenship, which is much less common in Europe, turns out to be a powerful tool for getting second-generation immigrants off to a good start. Together, citizenship acts as a powerful catalyst benefiting immigrants as well as host countries.

Keywords: immigration; integration; citizenship (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J15 J2 J31 J61 K37 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 41 pages
Date: 2022-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-eur and nep-mig
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published - published in: Labour Economics, 2023, 82, 102343

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Journal Article: Citizenship and integration (2023)
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