Democratic Drain links two of the most compelling topics of our time: immigration and democracy. With a blend of in-depth interviews and data analysis across 149 countries, Justin Gest explores how global migration filters people with liberal democratic values out of authoritarian spaces, enabling democratic backsliding around the world. At a global scale, the correlation between migratory choices and political values introduces a new reason why authoritarian countries may have struggled to democratize in the decades since the end of the Cold War – a period when flows of international migrants have grown so significantly, populism has spread, and authoritarians' resolve has steadily hardened. At a time when the world is increasingly sorting into democratic and undemocratic spaces, Gest's timely and innovative analysis raises important political and policy questions about how democracies might compensate for the inadvertent effects of global human mobility.

‘As with Gest’s other books, Democratic Drain is well written, provocative, and eminently readable. He pulls together an impressive dataset and also captures the human element. I found myself captured by the stories of the people he calls ‘demmigrants.’ This book may come to be the most influential on the intersection of migration and democracy.’

Susan Martin - Donald G. Herzberg Professor Emerita of International Migration, Georgetown University

‘Democratic Drain is an important new idea for political science, and for understanding political evolution in today’s world … It will change your views on where the world is headed.’

Tyler Cowen - Bloomberg Opinion and the Free Press

‘Drawing on impressive qualitative and quantitative research, Gest shows how the emigration of pro-democratic citizens-those most likely to vote and protest against autocracy-has made it easier for autocrats in Hungary, Serbia, Russia, Turkey, Venezuela, and elsewhere to sustain themselves in power. Democratic Drain is an important read for anyone interested in democratic backsliding-and how to reverse it.’

Steven Levitsky - David Rockefeller Professor of Latin American Studies, Harvard University

‘A pathbreaking, absorbing study of the global political effects of migration, rich with telling findings, above all, the adverse consequences of the Democratic Drain on both sending and receiving countries. Gest embeds his impressive empirical research in crisp prose and a probing, objective analytic style.’

Thomas Carothers - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace