Compensatory Citizenship: A Comparative Study of Dual Nationality in Serbia, Mexico and Israel

Abstract

Citizenship is not equal around the world: countries vary widely in the levels of opportunities, security and rights that they offer to their citizens. Traditionally, the only way that was open to individuals who wished to improve their position in the global hierarchy was emigration. Recently, however, a new pathway has opened up. Following the worldwide acceptance of dual citizenship since the 1990s, millions of people in Latin America, Eastern Europe and elsewhere have secured a second citizenship from a Western or European Union country on the basis of their ancestry, ethnicity, place of birth or migration history. I refer to this phenomenon as “compensatory citizenship,” since the second citizenship does not necessarily lead to emigration; instead, it acts as insurance policy, enhancer of opportunities and mobility and even status symbol. The dissertation explores this global phenomenon using two kinds of data. First, I analyze citizenship statistics from over 30 countries and show that demand for dual citizenship is shaped by the global hierarchy of citizenship value. Compensatory citizenship is mostly obtained by citizens of middle-tier countries who have both the opportunity and incentive to obtain a second citizenship from Western/EU countries. Second, I use material from fieldwork and interviews to compare three cases of compensatory citizenship: Hungarian dual citizenship in Serbia (acquired on the basis of ethnic identity), U.S. citizenship in Mexico (acquired through “birth tourism”) and European Union citizenship in Israel (acquired by descendants of emigrants). I analyze the interaction between state classifications and citizenship acquisition strategies and explore the uses and meanings of dual citizenship in each case. The study lays the groundwork for a new approach to citizenship which focuses on its role in setting one’s position in a global hierarchy; within that context, it comparatively analyzes the diffusion of instrumentalist, individualist attitudes to citizenship.