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«Beyond borders: exploring the determinants of intra-European migrants’ political participation»: new study by Ilona Pap, Valentina Petrović, and Jörg Rössel

In their publication, Dr. Ilona Pap, Dr. Valentina Petrović, and Prof. Dr. Jörg Rössel examine how migrants engage politically both in their country of residence and their country of origin, highlighting the transnational nature of political participation. Additionally, it shows that migrants’ political activities are shaped by where their political interests and news consumption are geographically focused.

Beyond borders: exploring the determinants of intra-European migrants’ political participation

Ilona Pap (SUZ), Valentina Petrović (SUZ), Jörg Rössel (SUZ)

First published online March 23, 2026 in Migration Studies

doi.org/10.1093/migration/mnag007

Abstract
This article analyzes migrants’ political participation in both their country of residence (CoR) and country of origin (CoO), emphasizing the transnational aspect of their engagement by examining the geographic focus of their political interest and news consumption. The increase in cross-border migration challenges traditional notions of political participation that assume a congruence between citizenship, residence, and political activity. Political engagement is a core principle of democracy, making it imperative to understand migrants’ political engagement to address social disparities and promote integration in Western democracies. Using survey data from Switzerland, this research explores the factors influencing migrants’ political participation in both their CoR and CoO. Our findings underscore the importance of considering migrants’ transnational circumstances, revealing that political activities can coexist across diverse contexts without mutually excluding one another. Concurrently, we demonstrate that political participation does not occur indiscriminately in the CoO and CoR; rather, it is significantly influenced by the geographic focus of migrants’ political interest and news consumption. This aspect has been largely overlooked in previous research.

Weiterführende Informationen

About

Dr. Ilona Pap researches at the Chair of Prof. Rössel on topics in the sociology of migration. Her work addresses different perspectives and phenomena that primarily relate to the integration of migrants. Her research interest focuses in particular on how specific characteristics and practices of migrants influence their integration both into the majority society and into their society of origin.

About

Dr. Valentina Petrović is a postdoctoral researcher at the Chair of Prof. Dr. Jörg Rössel. Her research interests focus on democratisation, europeanisation, political mobilisation, and comparative political economy in a postcommunist context. Valentina published her book «Structural Origins of Post-Yugoslav Regimes» in 2024.

About

Prof. Dr. Jörg Rössel teaches and researches at the Department of Sociology since 2008 as an  Ordinarius of Sociology. His research interests are Sociological Theory, Economic Sociology, Migration and Integration.

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