Studies in Global Justice and Human Rights

Immigration Justice

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£24.99

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About this book

The first book-length examination of immigrant admissions from a feminist philosophical perspective

  • Draws on empirical data on trends, patterns and causes of contemporary global migration
  • The most thorough, up-to-date examination of existing philosophical work on justice in admissions
  • Responds the thought of other political philosophers including John Rawls, Thomas Pogge and Michael Walzer
  • Includes chapters on nationalism, cosmopolitanism and policy


What moral standards ought nation-states abide by when selecting immigration policies? Peter Higgins argues that immigration policies can only be judged by considering the inequalities that are produced by the institutions – such as gender, race and class – that constitute our social world.
Higgins challenges conventional positions on immigration justice, including the view that states have a right to choose whatever immigration policies they like, or that all immigration restrictions ought to be eliminated and borders opened. Rather than suggesting one absolute solution, he argues that a unique set of immigration policies will be just for each country. He concludes with concrete recommendations for policymaking.

Reviews

Immigration Justice contains an assortment of virtues. It offers a terrific overview of key positions in contemporary immigration philosophy. Higgins's picture of immigration justice is certainly innovative; he gives a circumscribed defense of closed borders that aims to respond to the needs of the most disadvantaged as opposed to the philosophically shaky claims of prescriptive nationalism. The PDP [Priority of Disadvantage Principle] is not only philosophically rich but also potentially useful for crafting a range of forward-looking immigration policies.
Higgins urges us to consider the justice of immigration admissions policies from the perspective of those already unjustly disadvantaged. This offers an angle of vision on this issue that plays an important role in ordinary discussions but that has been unduly neglected in philosophical debates. The discussion is clear and lucid. This is an important contribution to contemporary debates about immigration admissions.
Table of contents
  1. The Philosophical and Empirical Context
  2. Nationalist Approaches to Immigration Justice
  3. Cosmopolitan Approaches to Immigration Justice
  4. The Priority of Disadvantage Principle
  5. Immigration Justice: In Defense of the Priority of Disadvantage Principle
  6. Admission, Exclusion, and Beyond: Which Immigration Policies Are Just?

Bibliography
Notes

About the author

Peter Higgins

Peter Higgins is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Department Member in Women’s and Gender Studies at Eastern Michigan University. His research applies a feminist perspective to issues of global justice.

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