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Politics-Policy Nexus in Multiple Citizenship Debates

Citizenship
Governance
Institutions
Media
Nationalism
Public Policy
Leif Kalev
Tallinn University
Mari-Liis Jakobson
Tallinn University
Leif Kalev
Tallinn University

Abstract

The paper discusses the relation between the politics of dual citizenship and proposed policy tools in the three Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. We apply a policy design perspective and empirically study the debates as reflected in Baltic News Service media coverage between 1991 and 2014, and the citizenship legislation drafted and amended. The Baltic States offer a good empirical base for multiple citizenship debate studies as there are different and conflictual political interests surrounding the issues. Recently restored independence, Soviet-time immigration and closeness to Russia stress nation building and securitisation. On the other hand, more recent large scale emigration and interest in engaging the diaspora favour multiple citizenship. We apply qualitative content analysis on arguments in media debates and proposed policy tools. The key interest is to observe the variety of arguments, connections and cohesion between proposed policy goals and policy tools.