Dual Citizenship in Asia
Among all regions, Asia lags behind in terms of the number of countries that recognize dual citizenship, but why have some Asian countries permitted dual citizenship while others have not? As of 2009, only seven countries in Asia recognize dual citizenship: Sri Lanka, Cambodia, the Philippines, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Vietnam. This study analyzes data for twenty-two Asian countries and conducts four case studies. The first two cases, India and the Philippines, recognize dual citizenship, while the second two cases, Nepal and Mongolia, do not. I examine three hypothesized factors that contribute to state recognition of dual citizenship in Asia: state demand for (a) financial capital and (b) human capital, and regime type. All seven dual citizenship-recognizing countries in Asia, as well as Nepal and Mongolia, have similarly high levels of remittances and "brain drain." My findings indicate that state demand for financial capital and human capital appear to be strongly associated with – but yet do not fully account for – dual citizenship recognition in Asian countries. A full account requires the consideration of political factors, which are highlighted in my case studies. In the Nepalese and Mongolian cases, some major impediments to dual citizenship recognition are border issues with India and China, respectively, and concerns about increasing foreign penetration into domestic economies.