Democratization through migration? : political remittances and participation of Philippine return migrants / Christl Kessler and Stefan Rother.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kessler, Christl, 1967- author.

Rother, Stefan, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democratization--Philippines.

Democratization.

Return migrants--Political activity--Philippines.

Return migrants.

Political participation.

Philippines.

Physical Description:

xiii, 181 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Lanham : Lexington Books, [2016]

Summary:

Democratization through Migration? Political Remittances and Participation of Philippine Return Migrants discusses whether labor migration can affect democratization processes and what impact the political order of the host country can have on this potential effect. In migration research, studies on the influence of return migrants on the societies in their home countries are still few and predominantly concentrate on the economic dimension of migration. The literature on democratization has likewise paid only scant attention to the external factors that play a role in the transition of states in the process of becoming more democratic. Cognizant of these lacunae in research on migration and democratization, this book sets out to argue that return migrants can play an important role in the consolidation process of young democracies. The goal is to explore the nature of this influence and to discuss its stabilizing, as well as destabilizing, aspects with regard to democratization. As a case study, this book analyzes a "labor exporter par excellence"-the Philippines. Research is based on original data: a survey in the Philippines with two thousand respondents, thirty-seven in-depth interviews with respondents from the sample, and forty-five expert interviews serving as background material. The destinations covered are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Taiwan, Japan, and Hong Kong. Christi Kessler and Stefan Rother's findings suggest that the migration experience may not only lead to a more critical stance toward the political system of the home country; there are also indicators of lesser support for the principles of democracy when compared to migrants about to leave the country for the first time. The political system of the destination as such seems to be a less decisive factor than the specific freedoms and restrictions experienced by migrants and a potential bias when selecting the destination. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Introduction 1

2 Democratization through Migration? Theoretical Premises 5

3 Research Design 19

Case Study Selection: The Philippines 20

Survey Instrument 28

Selection Criteria of the Survey 34

In-Depth Interviews 38

4 Sample Description 41

Return Migrant Sample 41

First Time Migrants Sample 45

Sample Description of In-Depth Interviews (IDIs) 45

5 Migration Experience 49

General Framework of Labor Migration in the Destination Countries 51

State Agency Services 61

NGO Services and Space for Migrant Activism 66

Structure/Profile of Labor Migration 72

Migration Experience in Destination Countries 76

Assessment of Working Conditions and Salary 76

Discrimination and Freedom of Movement 80

Integration 84

Overall Assessment 87

Country Differences 96

6 Political Attitudes of the Return Migrants 101

Democratic Attitudes 101

Democratic Government 101

Democratic Rights and Principles 104

Democratic Principles in Conflictive Settings 109

Tolerance as Democratic Attitude 113

Detachment from Authoritarianism 114

Outcome Performance 118

Political Participation and Alienation 131

7 Conclusion: Migration and Democratization 151.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Kessler, Christl, 1967- author. Democratization through migration?

ISBN:

9781498514217

1498514219

OCLC:

930683476