Economic Interconnectedness and Global Justice: Rethinking Compatriot Partiality
Open Access
Author:
Willner, Cael
Area of Honors:
Philosophy
Degree:
Bachelor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Desiree Y Lim, Thesis Supervisor Brady Bowman, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Political Philosophy Philosophy Economics Immigration
Abstract:
In this thesis, I make two claims: that immigration constitutes a political obligation and that it does not impede citizens' ability to support their compatriots. To establish immigration as a political duty, I respond to two primary frameworks of justifying compatriot partiality: Andrea Sangiovanni’s framework of reciprocity-based internationalism and Michael Blake’s framework of a shared threat of state coercion. By applying these frameworks to international relations, I contend that both frameworks generate global egalitarian duties between certain countries. The latter half of the thesis focuses on the economics of immigration. I analyze the empirical literature on low and high-skilled immigration’s effects on wages, prices, output, crime, and welfare systems and find that immigration does not hinder a country's ability to provide for its citizens. I conclude that more open immigration policy is both a political duty and economically viable for certain countries. These claims dispel compatriot partiality as grounds for immigration restrictions and make a normative claim for fewer immigration restrictions and greater freedom of movement.
