ETHICS OF IMMIGRATION OPT C (Oxford Political Theory) - Hardcover

Caren's writes in a refreshingly calm, measured, humane voice about one of the most politically charged and morally urgent issues of our time, deftly illustrating what philosophers can add to the heated conversation. He is the leading anglophone political philosopher working on the subject of immigration, and this book is the culmination of decades of path-breaking research...a brilliant and engaging, persuasive book, which attempts to reconcile the claims of democratic communities and the claims of migrants. (Sarah Fine, The Times Literary Supplement)

Joseph Carens has written what is sure to be the definitive text on the ethics of immigration and citizenship for many years to come ... This is a rich and stimulating book and it will be the essential starting point for anyone thinking about the normative principles that ought to govern human movement across borders, citizenship and the right of states to regulate where people live and work. (Christopher Bertram, Mind)

This book offers a very well-written and insightful introduction for scholars of migration in general not simply for ethicists. (Yusuf Yuksekdag, Linkoping University, Political Studies Review)

The book captivates the reader by its precise analysis, language and arguments. Carens' writing successfully avoids any abstract theoretical demonstrations. He rather focuses on thorough examples while dealing with the complex questions on existing residence regimes and their contested ethics. (Dr Baerbel Heide Uhl, International Journal of Refugee Law)

The Ethics is indispensable reading for anyone interested in the morality of immigration and it will be of value both to philosophers and to empirical social scientists. (Matthew J. Gibney, Migration Studies.)

In The Ethics of Immigration, Joseph Carens synthesizes a lifetime of work to explore and illuminate one of the most pressing issues of our time. Immigration poses practical problems for western democracies and also challenges the ways in which people in democracies think about citizenship and belonging, about rights and responsibilities, and about freedom and equality.

Carens begins by focusing on current immigration controversies in North America and Europe about access to citizenship, the integration of immigrants, temporary workers, irregular migrants and the admission of family members and refugees. Working within the moral framework provided by liberal democratic values, he argues that some of the practices of democratic states in these areas are morally defensible, while others need to be reformed. In the last part of the book he moves beyond the currently feasible to ask questions about immigration from a more fundamental perspective. He argues that democratic values of freedom and equality ultimately entail a commitment to open borders. Only in a world of open borders, he contends, will we live up to our most basic principles.

Many will not agree with some of Carens' claims, especially his controversial conclusion, but none will be able to dismiss his views lightly. Powerfully argued by one of the world's leading political philosophers on the issue, The Ethics of Immigration is a landmark work on one of the most important global social trends of our era.