Towards fairer borders: Alleviating global inequality of opportunity

Magnus Skytterholm Egan

doi:10.5324/eip.v12i2.2421

Abstract

Current admission criteria for migrants in Western states tend to favor the well-to-do, able-bodied, and well-qualified. This leads to migration patterns that exacerbate global inequalities. In this article, I will consider how economic migration affects global inequality of opportunity, and how we might alter admission criteria in order to mitigate negative effects. I will proceed by discussing cosmopolitan and nationalist positions to open borders and economic migration. In particular, I will address David Miller’s objections to using open borders to remedy global inequality of opportunity. The argument I present agrees with the benefits of a conception of justice that allows for degrees of partiality and a state’s right to control their borders. However, I argue that Western states’ roles in perpetuating global inequality of opportunity leads to moral demands, which can in part be met by fair economic migration. Furthermore, I will consider what fairer economic migration might consist in. The model I propose would rank migrants based on their level of disadvantage, how little their emigration would affect the country they are emigrating from, and how great it might improve the opportunities in the country they are moving to.

Highlights

Why is migration relevant to questions of global equality of opportunity?Most normative approaches to political philosophy proceed from the generally held assumption that all human beings are of equal worth
Nationalist objections to global equality of opportunity. Before discussing how this type of equality of opportunity is relevant to questions of migration, I will consider some objections to the argument that in order to have global equality of opportunity, we need open borders
If states are justified in controlling immigration, and open borders are not conducive to global equality, what kind of immigration regulations would alleviate global inequalities of opportunity? how can we practically evaluate whether states’ immigration regulations are appropriate to achieving such a goal? As previously discussed, a universally accepted metric of global equality of opportunity is unlikely, and states are more likely to have readily available information on the opportunities of specific migrants seeking admittance

Summary

Introduction

Why is migration relevant to questions of global equality of opportunity?Most normative approaches to political philosophy proceed from the generally held assumption that all human beings are of equal worth. This model evaluates whether migration regulations are justified not merely based on the impact a migrant might have on the country they are moving to, and considers the effect on the country they are leaving, and the improvement in opportunities for the individual migrant.

Results

Conclusion