Do citizenship regimes shape political incorporation

ABSTRACT This article examines how different formal citizenship regimes fare in achieving the political integration of immigrants and their children by looking at turnout in local elections. We analyse survey data from four European cities-Geneva, London, Oslo and Stockholm-that grant voting rights to foreigners at the local level but are located in countries with contrasting rules for access to formal citizenship. Our results indicate that local voting gaps are larger where citizenship rules are more restrictive, which supports the hypothesis that formal citizenship regimes -mostly determined by national legislation -have long-lasting effects on the electoral participation of immigrant-background individuals, even when eligibility is extended to foreigners. Moreover, we find only marginal differences between generations once citizenship status is taken into account, which runs against the assimilation hypothesis and confirms the pervasive effects of citizenship regimes on political integration outcomes