Immigration Debate in Party Manifestos: Case of the United States (2000-2020)

• In Event: Poster Session: International Political Economy 1 & Migration and Citizenship
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Migration and Citizenship

Abstract

Immigration has been a contentious topic in the political discussions in the United States as has been in other contemporary democracies. This paper, using data from the Manifesto Project, analyzes how immigration discussions have evolved in the political party documents in the United States. The analysis will include pre-election manifestos of the Democrat Party and Republican Party from 2000 to 2020. The study will reveal whether Democrats’ and Republicans’ stances on immigration changed or become more polarized over the years. Content analysis of party manifestos also aims to assess the differences in the political parties’ framing of immigration either as an economic, cultural, or security issue in the wake of political and economic events in the country. In this regard, the analysis of the documents will be complemented with process tracing to describe the changes in the macroeconomic and macro-political circumstances of the country.

Author

• Sumeyye Mine Iltekin, University of Delaware