Discrimination and policies of immigrant selection in liberal states
(2019) In Politics & Society 47(1). p.87-116- Abstract
How should liberal societies select prospective members? A conventional reading of immigration history posits that whereas ascriptive characteristics drove immigration policy in the past, contemporary policy is based on the principle of nondiscrimination. Yet a closer look at the characteristics of those admitted reveals systematic group biases that run counter to liberalism’s core moral commitments. This article first discusses liberal states’ basic moral obligation to treat their citizens with equal respect. It then identifies ways in which the group biases produced by immigration policy violate that principle, when states either deprive their citizens of fundamental rights or stigmatize them through hierarchical constructions of... (More)
How should liberal societies select prospective members? A conventional reading of immigration history posits that whereas ascriptive characteristics drove immigration policy in the past, contemporary policy is based on the principle of nondiscrimination. Yet a closer look at the characteristics of those admitted reveals systematic group biases that run counter to liberalism’s core moral commitments. This article first discusses liberal states’ basic moral obligation to treat their citizens with equal respect. It then identifies ways in which the group biases produced by immigration policy violate that principle, when states either deprive their citizens of fundamental rights or stigmatize them through hierarchical constructions of citizenship. Three mechanisms are presented-structural bias, profiling, and positive selection-by which seemingly liberal admissions policies produce illiberal outcomes. The empirical analysis explores the resulting discriminatory group biases in the context of language and income conditionalities on family migration, excessive demand restrictions against economic migrants, and visa waivers for international travelers. We conclude that immigration reforms that mitigate, if not erase, these morally problematic patterns are within the reach of liberal states.
(Less)
- author
- Ellermann, Antje and Goenaga, Agustín LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2019
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Discrimination, Equal respect, Family immigration, Immigrant selection, Medical inadmissibility restrictions, Visa waiver programs
- in
- Politics & Society
- volume
- 47
- issue
- 1
- pages
- 30 pages
- publisher
- SAGE Publications
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85061633952
- ISSN
- 0032-3292
- DOI
- 10.1177/0032329218820870
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 5acd5366-8fd8-49dd-933a-b89d860943cc
- date added to LUP
- 2019-03-01 12:00:29
- date last changed
- 2022-04-25 21:26:32
@article{5acd5366-8fd8-49dd-933a-b89d860943cc,
abstract = {{<p>How should liberal societies select prospective members? A conventional reading of immigration history posits that whereas ascriptive characteristics drove immigration policy in the past, contemporary policy is based on the principle of nondiscrimination. Yet a closer look at the characteristics of those admitted reveals systematic group biases that run counter to liberalism’s core moral commitments. This article first discusses liberal states’ basic moral obligation to treat their citizens with equal respect. It then identifies ways in which the group biases produced by immigration policy violate that principle, when states either deprive their citizens of fundamental rights or stigmatize them through hierarchical constructions of citizenship. Three mechanisms are presented-structural bias, profiling, and positive selection-by which seemingly liberal admissions policies produce illiberal outcomes. The empirical analysis explores the resulting discriminatory group biases in the context of language and income conditionalities on family migration, excessive demand restrictions against economic migrants, and visa waivers for international travelers. We conclude that immigration reforms that mitigate, if not erase, these morally problematic patterns are within the reach of liberal states.</p>}},
author = {{Ellermann, Antje and Goenaga, Agustín}},
issn = {{0032-3292}},
keywords = {{Discrimination; Equal respect; Family immigration; Immigrant selection; Medical inadmissibility restrictions; Visa waiver programs}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{1}},
pages = {{87--116}},
publisher = {{SAGE Publications}},
series = {{Politics & Society}},
title = {{Discrimination and policies of immigrant selection in liberal states}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0032329218820870}},
doi = {{10.1177/0032329218820870}},
volume = {{47}},
year = {{2019}},
}