Interpersonal Ties to Migrant Kin Abroad on Outcomes of Political Perceptions in Turkey

• In Event: International Migration Section Refereed Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 05. Transnational politics / immigrant political participation

Abstract

Research on social and political remittances has studied the exchange of information and norms between immigrants living abroad and their non-migrant kin in countries of origin extensively. Still, our understanding of how and when certain norms may get transmitted and how they may shape individuals’ political perceptions is limited. In this paper, I analyze the different channels through which interpersonal ties to migrant kin living abroad may be related to more critical views of politics among individuals without personal international migration experience themselves and who live in countries with high emigration levels. This is important to study for understanding how emigration or exposure to international migration through indirect channels may shape the attitudes of individuals who stay in high-emigration settings with potential implications such as increased demand for political accountability and higher expectations of government. In the analysis, I focus on four locations in Turkey and run a series of regression models using data from the EUMAGINE study, which provides information both on individual respondents and their network of migrant kin living abroad. Results suggest that having a larger network of migrant kin, migrant friends, migrant kin living in more democratic countries, and more frequent visits by migrant kin were factors associated with more critical views of politics. This project contributes to growing research on political remittances by using methodological insights from research in development to unpack mechanisms through which emigration may help indirectly increase expectations of government in origin countries.

Author

• Elif Buyukakbas, Northwestern University