When Emigrants Prefer Democracies and Leave Illiberal States Behind

Several years ago, in Gorazde in eastern Bosnia, I had a discussion with a young man who had a job and in general was in a good position in his hometown. He told me he had recently visited a cousin in Sweden, and that, while he had a decent life, he suspected he might emigrate there anyway, to start over. He noted that it felt good to be able to walk down the street in that country, or be able to turn on the TV, and not see the same politicians he was not able to escape when in Bosnia. This anecdote would fit well in Justin Gest’s new book, Democratic Drain: Global Migration and the Struggle for Democracy, which explores the motivations for, and impact of, the outflow of people from less democratic societies to more democratic – and more successful – destinations. Subscribe to Balkan Insight Premium to read the full article. Please login to your account below if you are already a Premium Subscriber. Buy Premium Subscription Our Premium Service gives you full access to all content published on BalkanInsight.com, including analyses, investigations, comments, interviews and more. Choose your subscription today and get unparalleled in-depth coverage of the Southern and Eastern Europe. Buy Premium Subscription If you have trouble logging in or any other questions regarding you account, please contact us