The Appeal of the Political Parties in Germany and the Netherlands to the Migrant-Origin Electorate: Reaching Out Diaspora Nationalists?

Diaspora nationalism is a phenomenon which has political and societal implications for both the sending state and the receiving state. Nonetheless, the research focusing on the impact of policies on immigrant political incorporation and political opportunity structures (POS) established by receiving countries on diaspora nationalism remains limited. This study argues that if diaspora nationalism is to be fully understood, POS that have been developed in the receiving states have to be scrutinised. A crucial part of political opportunity structures for immigrant political incorporation is, indubiously, the efforts of political parties in the receiving country to increase the political participation of migrant-origin voters. Pons & Liegey (2019) call these efforts ‘voter outreach efforts.’ With an analysis of the campaigns and strategies of receiving country political parties based on the migrant-origin electorate and the perception of second-generation migrants with a Turkish background towards the political parties in the Netherlands and Germany, this study poses the question “what strategies do the political parties in Germany and the Netherlands employ in order to reach the migrant-origin electorate, and how do the ‘voter outreach efforts’ influence diaspora nationalism?” The strategies and campaigns of the political parties in both countries will be scrutinized through their manifestos and public statements. Additionally, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with second-generation migrants of Turkish background, which will then be analysed through the QCA using the MAXQDA software.