Does direct democracy hurt immigrant minorities?
This paper examines the effects of democratic systems on immigration outcomes. We analyze naturalization data from about 1,400 Swiss municipalities during 1991-2009. Our key finding emerges from a unique policy change: Federal Court rulings forced municipalities to transfer naturalization decisions from citizen referendums back to elected municipality councils.
We observe that once politicians made the decisions, naturalization rates increased significantly (about 60%). This suggests that citizens in referendum settings may reject qualified applicants based on discriminatory preferences without facing direct consequences.
The increase was particularly pronounced for marginalized immigrant groups and in regions with high xenophobia or strong judicial review systems.
This mechanism aligns with rational choice theory - politicians must formally justify rejections, making them more accountable to citizens and creating incentives against discrimination.
Why this matters:
Our findings challenge assumptions about direct democracy's benefits for minority rights. They suggest referendums might actually reinforce discriminatory attitudes by allowing citizens to reject applications without accountability. This has implications for understanding representation in multiethnic societies and evaluating different democratic mechanisms.
| Does Direct Democracy Hurt Immigrant Minorities? Evidence from Naturalization Decisions in Switzerland was authored by Jens Hainmueller and Dominik Hangartner. It was published by Wiley in AJPS in 2019. |
