Campaigning across continents: how Latin American parties link up with migrant associations abroad

Nicolas Fliess

doi:10.1186/s40878-021-00227-3

Abstract

Emigrant voting rights have opened new electoral arenas, and many political parties increasingly campaign across borders. Yet relatively little is known about the challenges parties confront when campaigning transnationally and the strategies they have developed in response to these challenges. This paper addresses these shortcomings. First, I investigate the hurdles Latin American parties face in linking up with organized migrant collectives in residency countries for campaigning purposes. Second, I probe into the transnational linkage strategies these parties deploy to tap into migrant associations’ resources and mobilization capacities. This study builds on a comparative research design and draws on almost 40 semi-structured interviews with Bolivian and Ecuadorian party activists as well as association leaders in Barcelona, Spain. Departing from the party interest group literature, I identify three transnational linkage strategies Bolivian and Ecuadorian parties implement: 1) Infiltration, 2) Co-optation, and 3) Cooperation. All parties execute these tactics informally in order to comply with local norms that require associations to remain apolitical. The analysis further demonstrates that differences between home-country electoral systems shape the types of linkage strategies Bolivian and Ecuadorian parties use. This article contributes to the study of migrant politics and political parties in important ways. This study highlights how political parties actively negotiate their entry into the transnational electoral arena, and sheds light on how migrants remain politically connected to their home countries.

Highlights

In many countries, cross-border political activities increasingly shape domestic politics
Ecuador reports a higher GDP than Bolivia, inequality levels are at similar levels, and remittances make up an important share of both economies
Studying several groups in one setting, Barcelona, allows us to focus on host country-related variables, such as local norms and emigrants’ attitudes towards political home country actors

Summary

Introduction

Cross-border political activities increasingly shape domestic politics. A few works have made important inroads into studying the transnational links between parties and migrant associations These studies have either focused on settings with transported home country conflicts (Hammond 2012; Mügge 2010; ØstergaardNielsen 2003; Yener-Roderburg 2020), or analyzed these connections in light of codevelopment programs The relationship between political parties and civil society actors has received notable attention in political science (Allern 2010; Poguntke 2006; Scarrow et al 2017; Schwartz 2005; Thomas 2001; Verge 2012) Taking this literature as a point of departure, I identify five strategies parties can use to link up with migrant associations abroad: 1) establish formal alliances, 2) create their own groups, 3) infiltrate migrant associations, 4) co-opt migrant organizations, and 5) create forums of collaboration to establish exchange relationships.

Background

Conclusions