Journal of the European Economic Association
Political Interdependence: Evidence from Emigrant Voter Turnout in 1,267 Elections Worldwide
2026-03-19
We document political interdependence driven by international migration. To examine whether elections in residence countries impact emigrant turnout in homeland elections, we assemble a novel dataset covering 1,267 elections across 43 origin countries and 217 residence countries. Exploiting the quasi-random timing of elections between countries, we find that emigrant turnout increases by 7 percentage points in homeland elections held after residence country elections, compared to those held before. This is consistent with a model of salience where exposure to competitive residence country elections and expanded media coverage increases interest in the political process and drives emigrants to participate in their homeland elections.