Citizenship Policies for an Age of Migration

In countries that experience large influxes of immigrants, citizenship laws can offer an effective tool for promoting inclusion and integration. Citizenship policies in modern, liberal democracies, however, should be aligned with fundamental norms of fairness and justice that are central to the liberal-democratic ideal. This book offers a set of detailed policy proposals on four aspects of citizenship policy: access to citizenship, managing dual nationality, political integration, and social and economic rights. In addition, it provides policymakers with a set of concrete recommendations on how to effectively structure national citizenship laws.

The policy conclusions drawn throughout this book offer insight into how citizenship policy can be used to foster inclusion and integration of immigrants. Specifically, the book recommends that states: adopt broader birthright citizenship policies that ensure citizenship for second- and third-generation immigrants; develop clear, limited, precise, and objective naturalization requirements; create policies aimed to manage, not prevent dual nationality; promote political integration as a key component of citizenship policy; and not use citizenship as a tool to ration welfare benefits.