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Immigration and self-determination

Author

Listed:
  • Bas van der Vossen

    (University of North Carolina Greensboro, USA)

Abstract

This article asks whether states have a right to close their borders because of their right to self-determination, as proposed recently by Christopher Wellman, Michael Walzer, and others. It asks the fundamental question whether self-determination can, in even its most unrestricted form, support the exclusion of immigrants. I argue that the answer is no. To show this, I construct three different ways in which one might use the idea of self-determination to justify immigration restrictions and show that each of these arguments fails. My conclusion is that the nature and value of self-determination have to do with the conditions of genuine self-government, not membership of political society. Consequently, the demand for open borders is fully consistent with respect to self-determination.

Suggested Citation

  • Bas van der Vossen, 2015. "Immigration and self-determination," Politics, Philosophy & Economics, , vol. 14(3), pages 270-290, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:pophec:v:14:y:2015:i:3:p:270-290
    DOI: 10.1177/1470594X14533167
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    Cited by:

    1. Enrique Camacho-Beltrán, 2019. "Legitimate Exclusion of Would-Be Immigrants: A View from Global Ethics and the Ethics of International Relations," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(8), pages 1-19, August.

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