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By: Dania F. Arayssi

Abstract:

This dissertation examines how income from remittances shape political participation in contexts of economic crisis and state fragility, using evidence from Lebanon. The scholarship on the impact of remittances on political participation differs about whether remittances mobilize or demobilize recipients. Some research argues that income from remittances is associated with an
increase in political participation, while other research argues that income from remittances reduces political engagement. In this dissertation I argue that remittances reshape political participation through emotional mechanisms rather than economic ones. Specifically, shame about dependence suppresses socially visible political activities while economic independence
enables strategic substitution from ineffective electoral participation to direct advocacy and civic engagement, creating selective participants who strategically choose which political activities to pursue based on changing cost-benefit calculations. Drawing on original survey data from 500 Lebanese respondents (300 remittance recipients and 200 non-recipients) and focus group discussions conducted in Lebanon, I examine how remittances affect various forms of political participation, including voting, civic organization membership, political discussion, protest, and contacting officials. The analysis reveals three key findings. First, I find that remittances are associated with selective participation rather than uniform mobilization or demobilization. Data indicated that recipients of remittances are significantly more likely to join civil society organizations and engage in political discussions, but less likely to vote in elections. Second, I demonstrate that these effects operate consistently across different economic groups. These results signal that psychological mechanisms can explain the selective participation pattern rather than the economic need. Third, I identify how emotional responses to receiving remittances drive these selective participation patterns. Recipients experiencing shame withdraw from socially visible political activities, while pride shows
minimal or asymmetrical effects, suggesting that negative emotions constrain participation more powerfully than positive emotions mobilize it. These findings contribute to the scholarship on how external income reshape the relationship between the individual and political institutions. When individuals become economically independent through remittances, they are less likely to vote but do not simply withdraw from politics; rather, they redirect their participation toward other forms of political engagement, including civil society. Given the increase in countries where remittances represent a large share
of GDP and where state institutions struggle to provide basic services, this conclusion has important implications for understanding political behavior

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