Natalia-Cornelia MALANCU

Academic Year:
2025/2026

Field of Study:
Sociology

Research Program:
NEC-AMEROPA

Affiliation:
National University of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA)
“Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu

Position:
Adjunct Professor

Country:
Romania

Research project: Young People’s Attitudes About the Expansion of Voting Rights for Immigrants and/or Emigrants

The last few decades have seen more countries adopt policies allowing emigrants (non-resident citizens) to vote in home country elections from abroad, while there has been relative stagnation in extending those same rights to immigrants (resident non-citizens). This situation can be perceived as controversial: enfranchising non-resident citizens in home country elections grants political influence to those unlikely to be affected by electoral outcomes, whereas denying resident non-citizens a vote silences those who are directly affected. Despite an active debate among political theorists on the “boundaries of democratic inclusion,” little is known about citizens’ own views of this practice. Romania—Europe’s leading country of emigration and a young immigration country—provides an ideal setting for studying the attitudes of “sedentary young nationals.” We focus on 18–24-year-old nationals because we are interested in attitudes that are still in the making, and they are at the early stages of political socialization. To examine these attitudes, we administer a survey and conduct clarifying focus groups in four Romanian cities. Both methods include items that allow us to compare resident citizens’ opinions on enfranchising resident non-citizens versus external (non-resident) citizens. This comparison is crucial for understanding democratic inclusion from both sides of the border.