Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c47g7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T13:31:50.563Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Poverty and Immigration Policy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 April 2015

KIERAN OBERMAN
KIERAN OBERMAN*
Affiliation:
University of Edinburgh
*
Kieran Oberman is Chancellor's Fellow in Politics at University of Edinburgh, 22 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9LF (kieran.oberman@ed.ac.uk).
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

What are the ethical implications of global poverty for immigration policy? This article finds substantial evidence that migration is effective at reducing poverty. There is every indication that the adoption of a fairly open immigration policy by rich countries, coupled with selective use of immigration restrictions in cases of deleterious brain drain, could be of significant assistance to people living in poor countries. Empirically there is nothing wrong with using immigration policy to address poverty. The reason we have to reject such an approach is not empirical but normative. People have human rights to stay in their home country and to migrate elsewhere. Counter poverty measures that require people to move or to stay are likely to violate these rights. Everyone should be free to migrate but no one should be forced to migrate. Using immigration policy to address global poverty, in place of alternatives, fails on both these counts.

Type
Research Article
Information
American Political Science Review , Volume 109 , Issue 2 , May 2015 , pp. 239 - 251
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Acosta, Pablo, et al. 2008. “What is the Impact of International Remittances on Poverty and Inequality in Latin America?” World Development 36 (1): 89–114.Google Scholar
Adams, Richard H. Jr 2006a. “Remittances and Poverty in Ghana.” World Bank Policy Research Working Paper (3838): 1–41.Google Scholar
Adams, Richard H. Jr 2006b. “Remittances and Poverty in Guatemala.” World Bank Policy Research Working Paper (3418): 1–38.Google Scholar
Adams, Richard H. Jr, and Page, John. 2005. “Do International Migration and Remittances Reduce Poverty in Developing Countries?” World Development 33 (10): 1645–69.Google Scholar
Adams, Richard H. Jr., 1989. “Worker Remittances and Inequality in Rural Egypt.” Economic Development and Cultural Change 38 (1): 45–71.Google Scholar
Adams, Richard H. Jr., 1991. “The Economic Uses and Impact of International Remittances in Rural Egypt.” Economic Development and Cultural Change 39 (4): 695–722.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Aguero, Jorge M., Carter, Michael R., and Woolard, Ingrid. 2006. “The Impact of Unconditional Transfers on Nutrition: The South African Child Support Grant.” Southern Africa Labour and Development Research Unit Working Paper Series 06 (08): 1–32.Google Scholar
Alkire, Sabina, Roche, José Manuel, and Sumner, Andy. 2013. “Where Do the World's Multidimensionally Poor People Live?” OPHI Working Paper (61): 1–30.Google Scholar
Angelucci, Manuela, and De Giorgi, Giacomo. 2009. “Indirect Effects of an Aid Program: How Do Cash Transfers Affect Ineligibles’ Consumption?” The American Economic Review 99 (1): 486–508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Attanasio, Orazio, et al. 2005. “How Effective are Conditional Cash Transfers? Evidence from Colombia.” The Institute for Fiscal Studies Briefing Note 54, pp. 1–9.Google Scholar
Bacon, David. 2013. The Right to Stay Home: How US Policy Drives Mexican Migration. Boston: Beacon Press.Google Scholar
Barry, Christian. 2011. “Immigration and Global Justice.” Global Justice: Theory, Practice, Rhetoric 4, 30–28.Google Scholar
Beine, Michel, Docquier, Fréderic, and Rapoport, Hillel. 2008. “Brain Drain and Human Capital Formation in Developing Countries: Winners and Losers.” The Economic Journal 118 (528): 631–52.Google Scholar
Beitz, Charles R. 1999. Political Theory and International Relations. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Blake, Michael. 2001. “Distributive Justice, State Coercion, and Autonomy.” Philosophy & Public Affairs 30 (3): 257–96.Google Scholar
Blake, Michael. 2002. “Discretionary Immigration.” Philosophical Topics 30 (2): 273–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bollard, Albert, et al. 2011. “Remittances and the Brain Drain Revisited: The Microdata Show that More Educated Migrants Remit More.” The World Bank Economic Review 25 (1): 132–156.Google Scholar
Borjas, George J. 1999. Heaven's Door: Immigration Policy and the American Economy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Bracking, Sarah, and Sachikonye, Lloyd. 2010. “Migrant Remittances and Household Wellbeing in Urban Zimbabwe.” International Migration 48 (5): 203–227.Google Scholar
Brock, Gillian. 2009. Global Justice: A Cosmopolitan Account. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Brown, Richard P. C., and Jimenez, Eliana. 2008. “Estimating the Net Effects of Migration and Remittances on Poverty and Inequality: Comparison of Fiji and Tonga.” Journal of International Development 20 (4): 547–71.Google Scholar
Caney, Simon. 2005. Justice Beyond Borders: A Global Political Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Card, David. 2005. “Is the New Immigration Really So Bad?” The Economic Journal 115 (507): F300–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chêne, Marie, and Transparency International. 2010. “Corruption Prevention Strategies in Cash Transfer Schemes.” U4 Expert Answers (244): 1–9.Google Scholar
Clemens, Michael, and Bazzi, Sami. 2008. “Don't Close the Golden Door: Making Immigration Policy Work for Development.” In The White House and the World: A Global Development Agenda for the Next U.S. President, ed. Birdsall, N.. Washington, DC: Center for Global Development.Google Scholar
Cohen, G.A. 2008. Rescuing Justice and Equality. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Cohen, Joshua. 2010. “Philosophy, Social Science, Global Poverty.” In Thomas Pogge and His Critics, ed. Jagger, A. M.. Cambridge: Polity Press, 18–45.Google Scholar
Connel, John. 2010. Migration and the Globalisation of Health Care: The Health Worker Exodus? Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Haas, Hein. 2005. “International Migration, Remittances and Development: Myths and Facts.” Third World Quarterly 26 (8): 1269–84.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Haas, Hein. 2006. “Migration, Remittances and Regional Development in Southern Morocco.” Geoforum 37 (4): 565–80.Google Scholar
de Haas, Hein, and Vezzoli, Simona. 2011. “Leaving Matters: The Nature, Evolution and Effects of Emigration Policies.” IMI Working Papers Series (34): 1–37.Google Scholar
Dijkstra, A. Geske. 2002. “The Effectiveness of Policy Conditionality: Eight Country Experiences.” Development and Change 33 (2): 307–34.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Easterly, William. 2006. The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid The Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good. New York: Penguin Press.Google Scholar
Enoch, David. 2002. “A Right to Violate One's Duty.” Law and Philosophy 21 (4): 355–84.Google Scholar
Felbermayr, Gabriel J., Hiller, Sanne, and Sala, Davide. 2010. “Does Immigration Boost Per Capita Income?” Economics Letters 107 (2): 177–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ferracioli, Luara. 2015. “Immigration, Self-determination, and the Brain Drain.” Review of International Studies 41 (01): 99–115.Google Scholar
Fine, Sarah. 2010. “Freedom of Association is Not the Answer.” Ethics 120 (1): 338–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitzgerald, David. 2006. “Inside the Sending State: The Politics of Mexican Emigration Control.” International Migration Review 40 (2): 259–93.Google Scholar
Gertler, Paul. 2004. “Do Conditional Cash Transfers Improve Child Health? Evidence from PROGRESA's Control Randomized Experiment.” The American Economic Review 94 (2): 336–41.Google Scholar
Gertler, Paul J., Martinez, Sebastian W., and Rubio-Codina, Marta. 2012. “Investing Cash Transfers to Raise Long-Term Living Standards.” American Economic Journal: Applied Economics 4 (1): 164–92.Google Scholar
Griffin, James. 2008. On Human Rights. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Gupta, Sanjeev, Pattillo, Catherine A., and Wagh, Smita. 2009. “Effect of Remittances on Poverty and Financial Development in Sub-Saharan Africa.” World Development 37 (1): 104–15.Google Scholar
Hanlon, Joseph, Barrientos, Armando, and Hulme, David. 2010. Just Give Money to the Poor: The Development Revolution from The Global South. Sterling, VA: Kumarian Press.Google Scholar
Human Rights Committee. 1986. “General Comment No. 15: The Position of Aliens under the Covenant.” HRI/GEN/1/Rev.9.Google Scholar
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 1966.Google Scholar
Kanaiaupuni, Shawn, and Donato, Katharine. 1999. “Migradollars and Mortality: The Effects Of Migration On Infant Survival In Mexico.” Demography 36 (3): 339–53.Google Scholar
Kapur, Devesh, and McHale, John. 2005. Give Us Your Best and Brightest: The Global Hunt for Talent and Its Impact on the Developing World. Washington, DC: Center for Global Development.Google Scholar
Kapur, Devesh, and McHale, John. 2006. “Should a Cosmopolitan Worry about the ‘Brain Drain’?” Ethics & International Affairs 20 (3): 305–20.Google Scholar
Kapur, Devesh, Mukhopadhyay, Partha, and Subramanian, Arvind. 2008. “The Case for Direct Cash Transfers to the Poor.” Economic and Political Weekly 43 (15): 37–43.Google Scholar
Koechlin, Valerie, and Leon, Gianmarco. 2007. “International Remittances and Income Inequality: An Empirical Investigation.” Journal of Economic Policy Reform 10 (2): 123–41.Google Scholar
Landes, David S. 1998. The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor. New York: W.W. Norton.Google Scholar
Lazar, Seth. 2014. “Necessity and Non-Combatant Immunity.” Review of International Studies 40 (01): 53–76.Google Scholar
Le, Thanh. 2008. “‘Brain Drain’ or ‘Brain Circulation’: Evidence From OECD's International Migration and R&D Spillovers.” Scottish Journal of Political Economy 55 (5): 618–36.Google Scholar
Lipton, Michael. 1980. “Migration from Rural Areas of Poor Countries: The Impact on Rural Productivity and Income Distribution.” World Development 8 (1): 1–24.Google Scholar
López-Córdova, Ernesto, Tokman R, Andrea, and Verhoogen, Eric A.. 2005. “Globalization, Migration, and Development: The Role of Mexican Migrant Remittances.” Economía 6 (1): 217–56.Google Scholar
McKenzie, David J. 2005. “Beyond Remittances: the Effects of Migration on Mexican Households.” In International Migration, Remittances and the Brain Drain, eds. Özden, Ç. and Schiff, M.. Basingstoke: World Bank/Palgrave.Google Scholar
McKenzie, David, and Rapoport, Hillel. 2007. “Network Effects and The Dynamics Of Migration and Inequality: Theory and Evidence From Mexico.” Journal of Development Economics 84 (1): 1–24.Google Scholar
Meyer, Jean-Baptiste. 2001. “Network Approach versus Brain Drain: Lessons from the Diaspora.” International Migration 39 (5): 91–110.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miller, David. 2005. “Immigration: The Case for Limits.” In Contemporary Debates in Applied Ethics, eds. Cohen, A. I. and Wellman, C. H.. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Miller, David. 2007. National Responsibility and Global Justice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Miller, David. forthcoming. “Is There a Human Right to Immigrate?” In Migration in Political Theory: The Ethics of Movement and Membership, ed. Ypi, S. F. a. L.. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Moellendorf, Darrel. 2002. Cosmopolitan Justice. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.Google Scholar
Moyo, Dambisa. 2009. Dead Aid: Why Aid is Not Working and How There is a Better Way for Africa. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.Google Scholar
Oberman, Kieran. 2013. “Can Brain Drain Justify Immigration Restrictions?” Ethics 123 (1): 427–55.Google Scholar
Oberman, Kieran. forthcoming. “Immigration as a Human Right.” In Migration in Political Theory: The Ethics of Movement and Membership, eds. Fine, S. and Ypi, L.. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Olsaretti, Serena. 1998. “Freedom, Force and Choice: Against the Rights-Based Definition of Voluntariness.” Journal of Political Philosophy 6 (1): 53–78.Google Scholar
Paxson, Christina, and Schady, Norbort. 2010. “Does Money Matter? The Effects of Cash Transfers on Child Development in Rural Ecuador.” Economic Development and Cultural Change 59 (1): 187–229.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pernia, Ernesto M. 2008. “Migration Remittances, Poverty and Inequality: The Philippines.” Discussion Paper, School of Economics, University of the Philippines: 1–23.Google Scholar
Pevnick, Ryan. 2011. Immigration and the Constraints of Justice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Pincione, Guido, and Tesón, Fernando R.. 2006. Rational Choice and Democratic Deliberation: a Theory of Discourse Failure. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Pogge, Thomas. 1997. “Migration and Poverty.” In Citizenship and Exclusion, ed. Veit, B.. Basingstoke: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Pogge, Thomas. 2002. World Poverty and Human Rights: Cosmopolitan Responsibilities and Reforms. Cambridge: Polity Press.Google Scholar
Pogge, Thomas. 2007. “Severe Poverty as a Human Rights Violation.” In Freedom from Poverty as a Human Right: Who Owes What to the Very Poor?, ed. Pogge, T.. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Pogge, Thomas. 2010. “Responses to the Critics.” In Thomas Pogge and His Critics, ed. Jagger, A. M.. Cambridge: Polity Press, 18–45.Google Scholar
Pogge, Thomas. 2013. “Poverty, Hunger and Cosmetic Progress.” In Millennium Development Goals and Human Rights, eds. Langford, M., Sumner, A. and Yamin, A. E.. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Pritchett, Lant. 2006. Let Their People Come: Breaking the Gridlock on International Labor Mobility. Washington, DC: Center for Global Development.Google Scholar
Rawls, John. 1973. A Theory of Justice. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Rawls, John. 1999. The Law of Peoples. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.Google Scholar
Raz, Joseph. 1986. The Morality of Freedom. Oxford: Clarendon Press.Google Scholar
Risse, Mathias. 2005. “What We Owe to the Global Poor.” In Current Debates in Global Justice, eds. Brock, G. and Moellendorf, D.: Springer Netherlands, 81–117.Google Scholar
Rodrik, Dani, Subramanian, Arvind, and Trebbi, Francesco. 2004. “Institutions Rule: The Primacy of Institutions Over Geography and Integration in Economic Development.” Journal of Economic Development 9: 131–65.Google Scholar
Sen, Amartya. 2000. Development as Freedom. New York: Andrew A. Knoff.Google Scholar
Shue, Henry. 1996. Basic Rights: Subsistence, Affluence, and US Foreign Policy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Stark, Oded. 2004. “Rethinking the Brain Drain.” World Development 32 (1): 15–22.Google Scholar
Stark, Oded, Taylor, J. Edward, and Yitzhaki, Shlomo. 1986. “Remittances and Inequality.” The Economic Journal 96 (383): 722–40.Google Scholar
Sumner, Andy. 2012. “Where Do The Poor Live?” World Development 40 (5): 865–77.Google Scholar
Taylor, J. Edward. 1999. “The New Economics of Labour Migration and the Role of Remittances in the Migration Process.” International Migration 37 (1): 63–88.Google Scholar
Taylor, J. Edward. 2006. “The Relationship Between International Migration, Trade, and Development: Some Paradoxes and Findings.” In Migration, Trade, and Development: Proceedings of a Conference Sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, eds. Hollifield, J. F., Orrenius, P. M., and Osang, T.. Dallas TX: Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.Google Scholar
Taylor, J. Edward, et al. 1996. “International Migration and Community Development.” Population Index 62 (3): 397–418.Google Scholar
Taylor, J. Edward, et al. 2005. “Remittances, Inequality and Poverty: Evidence from Rural Mexico.” Agriculture and Resource Economics Working Papers (05–003): 1–41.Google Scholar
Taylor, J. Edward, and Wyatt, T. J.. 1996. “The Shadow Value of Migrant Remittances, Income and Inequality in a Household-Farm Economy.” Journal of Development Studies 32 (6): 899–912.Google Scholar
Tesón, Fernando R. 2008. “Brain Drain.” San Diego Law Review 45 (4): 899–932.Google Scholar
United Nations. 2014. The Millennium Development Goals Report. New York: United Nations.Google Scholar
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 1948.Google Scholar
van der Mei, A. P. 2002. “Freedom of Movement for Indigents: A Comparative Analysis of American Constitutional Law and European Community Law.” Arizona Journal of International and Comparative Law 19 (3): 803–61.Google Scholar
Waldron, Jeremy. 1981. “A Right to Do Wrong.” Ethics 92 (1): 21–39.Google Scholar
Wellman, Christopher H. 2008. “Immigration and Freedom of Association.” Ethics 119: 109–41.Google Scholar
Wiens, David. 2013. “Demands of Justice, Feasible Alternatives, and the Need for Causal Analysis.” Ethical Theory and Moral Practice 16 (2): 325–38.Google Scholar
Wolff, Jonathan, and De-Shalit, Avner. 2007. Disadvantage. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
World Bank. 2011. Migration and Remittances Factbook 2011, 2nd Ed. Washington DC: World Bank.Google Scholar
Wouterse, F. 2010. “Remittances, Poverty, Inequality and Welfare: Evidence from the Central Plateau of Burkina Faso.” Journal of Development Studies 46 (4): 771–89.Google Scholar
Yang, Dean. 2008. “International Migration, Remittances and Household Investment: Evidence from Philippine Migrants’ Exchange Rate Shocks.” The Economic Journal 118 (528): 591–630.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ypi, Lea. 2008. “Justice in Migration: A Closed Borders Utopia?” Journal of Political Philosophy 16 (4): 391–418.Google Scholar