Do Diaspora Engagement Policies Promote Loyal Ethnic Lobbying? Empirical Analysis of Turkey's Policies and the Lobbying Capacity of its Diaspora in Germany

Abstract

This paper examines how sending governments engage their diasporas for lobbying purposes and the potential outcomes of such efforts. Using Turkey's diaspora in Germany as a case study, we apply an integrated framework combining insights from the diaspora engagement policies and ethnic lobbying literatures to address the question: To what extent is a sending country capable of mobilising its diaspora to lobby for its interests in the host country? We show that governments' policies can strengthen the diaspora lobbying capacity by enhancing the internal factors of ethnic lobbying success, such as political activity, unity, and collective identity. However, these efforts may provoke backlash from the host country, limiting the diaspora's access to political power and chances of successful lobbying. Moreover, when the group's interests diverge from the homeland's objectives, the diaspora may prioritise its own concerns, complicating states' efforts of mobilising a consistently loyal group. This study contributes to our understanding of state-diaspora relations by highlighting how states attempt to promote diaspora's lobbying and the complexity of such actions.