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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01gh93h2656
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dc.contributor.advisorWidner, Jennifer
dc.contributor.authorKpo, Delanyo
dc.contributor.otherPolitics Department
dc.date.accessioned2022-02-11T21:31:09Z-
dc.date.available2022-02-11T21:31:09Z-
dc.date.created2021-01-01
dc.date.issued2021
dc.identifier.urihttp://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dsp01gh93h2656-
dc.description.abstractDoes returning from a relatively advanced democracy lead to greater political participation at home? In this work, I find it does not. In contrast to the existing studies and popular narratives that predict heightened political participation after returning from a more advanced democracy, I find that most people adjust their behavior to the constraints of their home countries. For the vast majority of return migrants, the combination of increased expectations and material wealth provides an opportunity to insulate from the failures of the home state. In environments where external efficacy is low, or citizens do not view the state as responsive, many returnees withdraw from formal political engagement in favor of what I call state bypass. Citizens bypass the state by pursuing and creating private alternatives to public services and goods. A significant implication of this finding is that insulation, withdrawal, and bypass decrease pressures on the state to improve service delivery, thereby reducing accountability in the short run. Rather than driving improvements in the quality of governance and democracy, returnees can inadvertently contribute to maintaining the political status quo by privatizing. I test this theory in Ghana using a mixed-methods research approach.
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherPrinceton, NJ : Princeton University
dc.relation.isformatofThe Mudd Manuscript Library retains one bound copy of each dissertation. Search for these copies in the library's main catalog: <a href=http://catalog.princeton.edu>catalog.princeton.edu</a>
dc.subjectAfrica
dc.subjectDemocracy
dc.subjectMigration
dc.subjectPolitical Behavior
dc.subjectReturn Migration
dc.subject.classificationPolitical science
dc.subject.classificationAfrican studies
dc.titleReturns on Repatriation: The Effects of Return Migration on Democratic Politics
dc.typeAcademic dissertations (Ph.D.)
pu.date.classyear2021
pu.departmentPolitics
Appears in Collections:Politics

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