The Effect of Birthright Citizenship on Parental Integration Outcomes

This paper provides empirical evidence on whether child legal status at birth affects the level of cultural integration of immigrant parents with native community. We consider the 1999 reform of the German nationality law, which introduced birthright citizenship for children born in Germany to non-German citizen parents. Our results show that changes in the rules that regulate child citizenship have significantly increased parents’ propensity to establish contacts with German citizens and use the German language. The effect on parents’ integration varies according to the initial endowment of human capital and the level of integration in their local ethnic community.