Democratization through Migration? Political Remittances and Participation of Philippine

M. Scott Solomon of the University of South Florida reviews Democratization through Migration? Political Remittances and Participation of Philippine Return Migrants, by Christl Kessler and Stefan Rother of Albert Ludwigs University. Kessler and Rother discuss whether labor migration can affect democratization processes and what impact the political order of the host country has on this potential effect. The book attests the potential of the migration experience to affect migrants’ attitudes towards democracy, thus playing an important role in the support needed for democracies in the stage of consolidation. Kessler and Rother’s findings suggest that the migration experience may not only lead to a more critical stance towards the political system of the home country; and that 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.

Read the book review at https://doi.org/10.1111/imre.12331