Political Accountability and Emigration Aspiration

• In Event: Poster Session: Intergroup Dynamics and Tolerance & Representation and Electoral Systems
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Electoral Systems and Representation

Abstract

What factors drive an individual’s desire to emigrate? Existing research has primarily pointed to evaluations of various macro-level factors such as economic, sociocultural, and environmental situations as major contributors to emigration aspirations, but has overlooked how evaluations of the broader political system matter. This paper focuses on political accountability as a crucial yet understudied driver for potential emigration and argues that when people have greater confidence in their ability to influence a challenging environment by holding political leaders accountable, they exhibit reduced desire for emigration as an adaptive measure to cope with the environment. To empirically test this claim, this paper leverages the 2014 Mexican Electoral Reform, which lifted an eighty-year ban on reelection in Mexico's Chamber of Deputies and Senate. Using a difference-in-difference design, and drawing on micro-level survey data from AmericasBarometer survey series, we show that increased political accountability through reelection opportunities encourages individuals to exercise their voice by holding politicians accountable rather than rely on emigration as an exit option. Overall, this paper holds implications for the migration literature and underscores the importance of understanding the role of political efficacy and accountability in shaping emigration patterns. In an era of heightened polarization, democratic backsliding, and increasing migration flows around the world, it is essential to identify the intersections between one's political system and her desire to seek a better life elsewhere.

Authors

• Boyoon Lee, Vanderbilt University

• Jonathan T. Hiskey, Vanderbilt University