Are political and economic integration intertwined?

Over the past 30 years, several European countries have seen their foreign born populations double or triple and in some cases like Luxembourg, migrants represent today almost half of the residents. As a result societies have become increasingly diverse. Over centuries of political developments democracy and democratic representation have emerged as the preferable means of aggregating heterogeneous preferences, but to what extent are immigrants involved in the political process in the destination country? Answering this question has important implications for the engagement of migrant communities with the host country’s society and for the policies that in turn will be adopted.