Open Borders? Closed Societies?: The Ethical and Political Issues(Contributions in Political Science)

Immigration and refugee policies have traditionally been based on two assumptions: first, that national sovereignty implies absolute control of a country's borders and, second, that outsiders are to be admitted only when it serves the national interest. Moral or ethical concerns have not played a central role in policy formation anywhere in the world. This collection of essays challenges the traditional politically oriented position, analyzes the moral issues involved, and develops models for morally responsible immigration and refugee policies in a contemporary political setting. The editor's introduction reviews the history of U.S. immigration policy and provides a framework for considering immigration control issues. Written by leading authorities on immigration and refugee policy, this provocative volume offers an honest, sensitive exploration of some of the most difficult questions facing contemporary society. It will be of interest for studies in ethics, human rights, public policy, and political economy, as well as to general readers concerned with immigration and refugee issues.

Table of Contents:
Part I: Immigration Citizenship and Freedom of Movement: An Open Admission Policy? by Frederick G. Whelan Nationalism and the Exclusion of Immigrants: Lessons from Australian Immigration Policy by Joseph H. Carens The Force of Moral Arguments for a Just Immigration Policy in a Hobbesian Universe: The Contemporary American Example by John A. Scanlan and O.T. Kent Part II: Refugee Admission The Ethics of Refugee Policy by Peter and Renata Singer American Duties to Refugees: Their Scope and Limits by Andrew E. Schacknove Human Rights and U.S. Refugee Policy by Mark Gibney and Michael Stohl

About the Author :
MARK GIBNEY is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Purdue University. He is the author of Stranger or Friends: Principles for a New Alien Admission Policy (Greenwood Press, 1986). He has also written a number of law journal articles on U.S. immigration and refugee policy, and the judiciary's role in the conduct of foreign affairs.

Review :
?An attempt to reform US immigration policy, the 1986 Simpson-Rodino bill was heralded as a much-needed mechanism for coping with the growing number of illegal aliens who enter the US each year. With governmental action on alien admissions now receiving increased publicity from the media, public awareness of the problem is perhaps now at a level similar to that demonstrated by American citizens during the 1920s when the first restrictive immigration laws were passed. This volume is directed to that heightened sense of public awareness and offers an examination of the moral and political arguments underlying national immigration policy in a manner that is both provocative and compelling. Edited by Gibney, the text is a collection of six essays by political scientists and consultants from the US, Canada, and Australia. Topics range from the exclusion of certain categories of aliens from Australia's immigration policies, to human rights and America's position on refugee admissions. Yet, the fundamental theme' addressed by the entire collection is the supposition on the part of Western nations that sovereignty provides absolute control over which people(s) can legitimately cross a country's borders and that alien admissions should occur only when they serve the national interest of a particular country. For general readers and upper-level students within a university setting.?-Choice "An attempt to reform US immigration policy, the 1986 Simpson-Rodino bill was heralded as a much-needed mechanism for coping with the growing number of illegal aliens who enter the US each year. With governmental action on alien admissions now receiving increased publicity from the media, public awareness of the problem is perhaps now at a level similar to that demonstrated by American citizens during the 1920s when the first restrictive immigration laws were passed. This volume is directed to that heightened sense of public awareness and offers an examination of the moral and political arguments underlying national immigration policy in a manner that is both provocative and compelling. Edited by Gibney, the text is a collection of six essays by political scientists and consultants from the US, Canada, and Australia. Topics range from the exclusion of certain categories of aliens from Australia's immigration policies, to human rights and America's position on refugee admissions. Yet, the fundamental theme' addressed by the entire collection is the supposition on the part of Western nations that sovereignty provides absolute control over which people(s) can legitimately cross a country's borders and that alien admissions should occur only when they serve the national interest of a particular country. For general readers and upper-level students within a university setting."-Choice