Emigration and Collective Action

I develop a model of emigration and collective action to illustrate that the presence of exit opportunities can undermine political mobilization. In a setting where collective action is risky and where success requires the participation of a large number of citizens, exit options reduce mobilization through two mechanisms. First, profitable migration opportunities raise the opportunity cost of collective action, dampening political participation among those who could migrate. In addition, the knowledge that some individuals have profitable exit options lowers everyone's confidence that collective action can be successful. Because of this, all people-regardless of whether they personally could migrate-become less likely to mobilize as exit options become more profitable or more prevalent, undermining collective action and making successful mobilization less likely. I examine the mechanisms suggested by the model using historical evidence from Mexico and Japan and discuss the implications for understanding the political economy of emigration and of emigration policy.