Does citizenship matter? The impact of citizenship policy on migrants’ living conditions

Abstract

There have been several changes in German migration policies since the reunification. For example, the Introduction of the birthright citizenship in 2000 can be seen as a radical change in citizenship policies: from an ethno-cultural citizenship regime towards a more liberal one. The study aims to examine the impact of this change on the subjective (measured as perceived discrimination) and objective (measured as in work poverty) living conditions of immigrants in Germany. In addition, it is intended to clarify whether these changes impact differently immigrants of the first and second generation. These questions will be answered by applying a fixed effect logit and a fixed effect linear model. While controlling for relevant individual and contextual variables, the effects of the survey years will provide information about the impact of changes in migration policies on the dependent variables. Interaction effects will display if differences between migrants of the first and second generation exist. This study is seen as a first approach to understand the impact of legal environment on the living conditions of immigrants in Germany. The results can be a starting point of further research, but can also provide the basis for political discussions on integration and migration policies.