From 1998-2018  Anja did a lot of research on political participation of migrants with colleagues at IMES. To keep this research line in place and make large scale fieldwork possible, we succesfully looked for funding from external sources (municipalities, FORUM, the Ministry of Home affairs, IPP).

The reserach line includes: Part I – Voting behaviour of migrants in municipal elections; and Part II – the role of migrant candidates, on the lists of parties, and after their election in the city councils. We looked for funders and arranged voting research during five municipal elections from 1994 to 2017, using large exist polls with  6000 respondents. The research on party representatives included  semi-structured interviews in four cities. The combination has led to theoretically interesting papers, using social capital theory.

 

My most cited articles:

  1. SPECIAL ISSUE ‘Immigrant Diversity and Political Participation’, Anver Saloojee & Anja van Heelsum (eds.) (2002) in the Journal of International Migration and Integration.
  2. Heelsum, A. van (2002) ‘The relationship between political participation and civic community of migrants in the Netherlands’, Journal of International Migration and Integration, 3(2), 179-199, DOI: 10.1007/s12134-002-1010-y.
  3. Heelsum, A. van (2005) ‘Political participation and civic community of ethnic minorities in four cities in the Netherlands’, Politics, 25(1), 19-30, DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9256.2005.00225.x.

Part I Voting behaviour of migrants in the local elections of 1994-2018

Together with: in 1994:  with Jean Tillie, in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Arnhem, Utrecht, Den Haag, Enschede. In 1998: with Jean Tillie and Maria Berger in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Arnhem, Utrecht, Den Haag. In 2002: Jean Tillie and Laure Michon in Amsterdam. In 2006: with Jean Tillie and Anne Blanksma in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Arnhem, Breda. In 2010: with Jean Tillie and Teri van der Heijden in Amsterdam. In 2014 Laure Michon and Floris Vermeulen took over for Amsterfdam only and in 2017 Maria Kranendonk and Floris Vermeulen for Amsterdam.

Non-nationals have voting rights in the municipal elections in the Netherlands since 1985. Since 1994 the above reseachers have held exit polls with the same methodology. The turnout of the largest categories of immigrant voters is calculated by comparing the number of enfranchised with the actual voters in these particular polling stations. Voters are asked to fill in a short questionnaire on leaving the polling stations, asking what they have voted, for whom they could potentially vote, and more. The number of respondents is usually between 1000 and 4000 per city. These are the cities where the research took place:

 

Publications

  • Vermeulen, F., Harteveld, E., van Heelsum, A. J., van der Veen, A., & (2018) The Potential of Immigrant Parties: insights from the Dutch case. Acta Politica, 9(1), 161–179, DOI:https://doi.org/10.1057/s41269-018-0123-z.
  • Harteveld, E., A. van Heelsum, A. van der Veen & F. Vermeulen (2017), ‘Explaining voters preferences for migrant parties in the Dutch elections of 2017‘, Paper presented on the Conference of European Studies, Glasgow, 12-14 July 2017.
  • Kranendonk, M., Vermeulen, F. & A. van Heelsum (2018) ‘Unpacking’ the Identity-to-Politics Link: The Effects of Social Identification on Voting among Muslim Immigrants in Western Europe, Political Psychology, 39(1), 43-67, DOI: 10.1111/pops.12397.
  • Heelsum, A. van, L. Michon, L., & J. Tillie (2016) ‘Local Political participation of immigrants in the Netherlands: A Look at Amsterdam and Rotterdam’, in: Antoine Bilodeau, Just Ordinary Citizens? Toward a Comparative Portrait of the Political Immigrant, Toronto, Buffalo, London: University of Toronto Press (p. 29-45).
  • Groenendijk, K, A. van Heelsum, L. Michon & J. Tillie (2010) ‘Participación política en los Países Bajos’, chapter 2 in: D. Moya Malapeira & A. Viñas Ferrer (eds.), Sufragio y participación política de los extranjeros extracomunitarios en Europa, Barcelona: Fundacio Carles Pi i Sunyer, pp 109-152.
  • Heijden, T. & A. van Heelsum (2010) Opkomst en stemgedrag van migranten tijdens gemeenteraadsverkiezingen van 3 maart 2010, Amsterdam: IMES-report series, download.
  • Van Heelsum, A. (2008) Political Participation and Associations of Immigrants in the Netherlands, webpublication in country profile the Netherlands, Netzwerk Migration in Europa (removed after 10 years).
  • Michon, L., J. Tillie & A. van Heelsum (2007) ‘Political participation of migrants in the Netherlands since 1986’, paper presented by A. van Heelsum on the Barcelona International Seminar on Political Rights, Barcelona, Spain, 19-20 July 2007.
  • Michon, L., J. Tillie & A. van Heelsum (2007) Political participation of migrants in the Netherlands since 1986. Helsinki, Our paper presented at the ECPR Joint Sessions by Jean Tillie.
  • Heelsum, A. van & J. Tillie (2006) Opkomst en partijvoorkeur van migranten bij de gemeenteraadsverkiezingen van 7 maart 2006, Amsterdam: IMES, download.
  • Heelsum, A. van & J. Tillie (2006) Persbericht 7 maart 2006 (in Dutch)
  • Heelsum, A. van (2006)Turn out and party choice in the local elections in the Netherlands, Paper for the Metropolis Conference 2-6 Oct 2006 Lisbon.
  • Heelsum, A. van (2006) ‘Political participation of immigrants in the local elections in the Netherlands’, presented at the seminar ‘ Immigració i eleccions municipals’ in Sabadel, Spain, 6-7 July 2006.
  • Heelsum, A. van (2005) ‘Political participation and civic community of ethnic minorities in four cities in the Netherlands’ Politics, 25(1), 19-30 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9256.2005.00225.x.
  • SPECIAL ISSUE ‘Immigrant Diversity and Political Participation’, Anver Saloojee & Anja van Heelsum (eds.) (2002) in the Journal of International Migration and Integration.
  • Saloojee, A., & van Heelsum, A. (2002) ‘Introduction’, Journal of International Migration and Integration, 3(2), 151-156, DOI: 10.1007/s12134-002-1008-5
  • Heelsum, A. van (2002) ‘The relationship between political participation and civic community of migrants in the Netherlands’, Journal of International Migration and Integration, 3(2), 179-199, DOI: 10.1007/s12134-002-1010-y.
  • Michon, L. & J. Tillie (2002) Amsterdamse Polyfonie, Opkomst en stemgedrag van allochtone Amsterdammers bij de gemeenteraads- en deelraadsverkiezingen van 6 maart 2002, Amsterdam: IMES report.
  • Tillie J., M. Fennema & A. van Heelsum (2000) De etnische stem; opkomst en stemgedrag van migranten tijdens gemeenteraadsverkiezingen, 1986-1998, Utrecht: Forum.
  • Heelsum A. van & J. Tillie (2000) ‘Stemgedrag en partijvoorkeur bij de gemeenteraadsverkiezingen van 4 maart 1998’, in J. Tillie, m.m.v. M. Fennema & A. van Heelsum, De etnische stem; opkomst en stemgedrag van migranten tijdens gemeenteraadsverkiezingen, 1986-1998, Utrecht: FORUM, pp. 18-42.
  • Heelsum, A. van & J. Tillie (1998) Stemgedrag en partijvoorkeur bij de gemeenteraadsverkiezingen van 4 maart 1998, Amsterdam: IMES report, download
  • Tillie, J.N. (1995) Opkomst en stemgedrag van migranten tijdens de gemeenteraadsverkiezingen van 2 maart 1994, Utrecht: Forum, download

Part II Migrants Politicians in Four Cities (1999-2000)

Together with: Meindert Fennema, Jean Tillie, Maria Berger, Rick Wolff, A. Feenstra, and commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Home Affairs

The role of migrant politicians was investigated in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Eindhoven and Zaanstad. In these four cities officials of the municipal, councillors and officials of political parties are interviewed. The party policy and the attitude towards hiring migrants is investigated. The role of migrant organisations in supporting migrant politicians is also investigated. This project was later on conintued by Laure Michon, who wrote her PhD thesis about the subject.

Publications

  • Fennema, M., J. Tillie, A. van Heelsum, M.& R. Wolff (2000) Sociaal Kapitaal en politieke participatie van etnische minderheden, Amsterdam: Uitgeverij Het Spinhuis | download.
  • Berger, M., M. Fennema, A. van Heelsum, J. Tillie & R. Wolff (2001) Politieke participatie van etnische minderheden in vier steden, Amsterdam: IMES report | download.
  • Heelsum, A. van (2001) Political participation of migrants comparing four cities in the Netherlands, Paper for the 6th Metropolis Conference 2001 in Rotterdam | download.
  • Heelsum, A. van (2000) Political participation of migrants in the Netherlands, Paper for the 5th Metropolis Conference 2000 in Vancouver | download.