Skill Levels As a Political Resource: Political Practices of Recent Migrants in Switzerland

The paper seeks to answer the question how socio-economic differentiation influences forms and aims of migrant engagement, that is, the political and social participation of migrants in Switzerland and their countries of origin. More fluid patterns of mobility call to attention the need to observe different ways of residents’ civic engagement, which are not restricted to the practices of full citizens of the state. We focus on ‘unconventional’ political activities, such as participating in petitions, demonstrations and consumer boycotts. Even though these activities are hardly still considered unconventional, they are usually not considered in research on migrants’ political involvement. The paper is based on the data of the Migration-Mobility Survey (n=5973) which looks at the living conditions of residents of Switzerland who arrived within the last ten years. Questions on civic engagement are specifically designed to include forms of engagement which are open to any resident of the state. Another advantage of the survey is that it allows the action to take place either in Switzerland or in the country of origin, which allows us to observe migrant engagements transnationally. Based on the analysis of this new dataset, the paper delivers new insights into migrants’ engagement linked to different resources and forms of capital. Previous works have confirmed the influence education provides for political participation of migrant and ethnic minorities. By looking at how migrants’ skill levels and employment situation condition forms and geographies of engagement, this paper makes a further contribution to debates on civic engagement and transnationalism.