Citizenship and Migrants’ Rights in a Context of Shifting Dynamics of International Mobility

The literature on citizenship and migrants’ rights has become increasingly rich over the past decades. A growing number of in-depth case studies and larger-N comparative analyses from different disciplinary and methodological angles have contributed to our understanding of top-down and bottom-up processes and practices in areas such as citizenship acquisition, the recognition of migrants’ socio-economic, political or cultural rights, or the consequences of existing policies for migrants’ (transnational) lives. Yet, several gaps still remain to be addressed in future migration research. Additionally, the emergence of new forms of mobility (e.g. the nomad or virtually mobile individuals mentioned in the Introduction to this symposium) or shifting trends in international migration (e.g. recent immigration for leisure, business or studies to countries traditionally considered as emigration states) also deserve our attention in the years to come.
Drawing on these considerations, this short contribution exemplifies the need for further research in two specific facets regarding citizenship and migrants’ entitlements: a) rights on paper and the complex policymaking behind it and; b) rights in practice and the diversification of acts of citizenship.