Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/308379 
Year of Publication: 
2024
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 11483
Publisher: 
CESifo GmbH, Munich
Abstract: 
This paper examines the impact of introducing birthright citizenship in Germany on the educational trajectories of second-generation immigrants. Our identification strategy exploits a legal change in 2000 that granted children of foreigners with longtime residency automatic citizenship at birth. Using high-quality census data, we show that the reform contributes to closing pre-existing educational gaps in secondary school track choice and completion. These findings also hold when relying exclusively on within-household variation across siblings. We provide evidence for the underlying mechanisms, highlighting the roles of higher expected returns to education and of an increased sense of belonging to Germany.
Subjects: 
birthright citizenship
education
human capital
integration
immigration
JEL: 
J15
J24
K37
O15
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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