Investment Migration: Empirical Developments in the Field and Methodological Issues in Its Study

Over the past decade, interest in investment migration programs has grown substantially, yet empirical research has not followed it apace. This chapter offers an empirical overview of the field of investment migration, focusing on supply, demand, and the connective infrastructure of the market, as well as the demographic uptake and economic outcomes of several key programs. The analysis is based on five years of qualitative and quantitative research on the global market in investment migration. I first set out the defining features of CBI and RBI programs and distinguish them from neighboring - and often conflated - means for acquiring citizenship or residence. I then introduce the historical origins of the contemporary scene in investment migration globally and dissect the dynamics of the global market in investment migration, focusing on the structure supply, demand, and the connective tissue of service providers that make the market. The analysis also accounts for changes in both supply and demand over time. The third section addresses program outcomes. I highlight important methodological issues to consider when evaluating program outcomes, and I assess the uptake and economic results of key schemes. I conclude by discussing the most significant empirical development in the field in recent years: the rise to predominance of CBI and RBI programs in the Global South.