a global greencard? putting migration back into development

Signature (unit, name, etc.)

A Global Greencard? Putting Migration Back into Development

Malcolm Langford,

Director, Socio-Economic Rights Programme

Norwegian Centre for Human Rights

Signature (unit, name, etc.)

Signature (unit, name, etc.)

Arguments For Open Borders

• Locational luck as basis for life?

• Migration as a right – (Rawls and Nozick)• Migration as a duty – (Rawls, Pogge and Sen)• Economic gains* • Historical justice

*Particularly to LICs for sending low-skilled/educated citizens.

Signature (unit, name, etc.)

Arguments for Closed Borders

• Sovereignty?

• Other Rights at Stake– E.g. Self-Determination

• Compatriotism – Special Obligations

• Communitarianism – Protection of Ethno-National Culture or Cultural Rate of Change

• Utilitarian

– Closed Borders better for Achieving Democracy and Public Order

- Little impact on poverty and brain drain problem

• Social Welfare – Avoids Social Dumping

• Reflective Equilibrium – Faily open borders

Signature (unit, name, etc.)

Reflective Equilibrium?

• “Fairly open borders”• Open borders for some individuals not others• Open borders for some countries not others • Open borders at some times but not others

Signature (unit, name, etc.)

A Proposal

• 2015: Include a goal/target of promoting free movement of labour

• Target could be 10, 20 or 30 per cent of persons living in income poverty being granted greencards between 2015 and 2030.

• Target would cover all middle-to-higher and higher-income countries – with some graduatrion for GDP PPP

• Greencards would give permanent residency rights and path to citizenship except if serious crimes committed.

Signature (unit, name, etc.)

Implementation

• Implementation could follow the model of the US Diversity Visa (one of the ’Greencards’)

• Target would be monitored by World Bank, ILO and IMO.

• IMO could provide international coordination for scheme as is done with UNHCHR refugeess

• Countries could possibly buy out their migation quota in a similar was as carbon emissions.

Signature (unit, name, etc.)

Open your borders or open your wallets!Veit Bader, Ethics of Immigration (2005)

Citizenship in Western liberal democracies isthe modern equivalent of feudal privilege – an inherited status that greatly enhance one’s life chances.

Jospeh Carens, Aliens and Citizens (1987)