Immigrants' political incorporation

What accounts for the political successes and exclusions of immigrants and their descendants? Does access to the vote automatically translate into political representation and power? If immigrants cannot access electoral politics, what options are open to them? This chapter first discusses the concept of immigrant political incorporation. It then surveys key approaches from both sides of the Atlantic. In the USA, researchers have debated assimilation models, adopted minority politics approaches of incorporated immigrants into general mass behaviour frameworks. In Europe, scholars have debated the relative importance of class versus ethno-racial inequality, compared cross-national political opportunity structures and ideas of nationhood or focused on civic organisations and social capital. Increasingly, cross-Atlantic dialogue is leading to innovative syntheses across these traditions and to new research directions.