Emigration and Political Development

“This is, to my knowledge, the first work that systematically looks at the impact of emigration on political development. It is compelling in its sweeping scope and methodological rigor. Its central message that emigration is good for democracy in sending states is uncomfortable news for our restriction-minded liberal democracies.” – Christian Joppke, University of Bern
“Jonathon Moses has written an important and timely book. While the topic of migration is now one of the hot topics in comparative politics, most scholars have focused on the effects of immigration into the industrialized world. Of course, this is only half of the story. Moses’ interesting and comprehensive analysis teaches us about the other half of the story: What are the effects of people leaving their homes on political and economic development? This book thus makes a significant contribution to the study of comparative politics.” – Sven Steinmo, European University Institute
“Migration is generally considered to improve the economic well-being of the individual, though its broader effects on society and the polity are poorly understood. In this subtle analysis of emigration and political development, Jonathon Moses opens a new line of inquiry and his findings are original and provocative. Anyone interested in how mobility effects political change will want to read this book.” – James F. Hollifield, Professor of Political Science, Southern Methodist University