Cities and Border Control
Should we allow cities to control their borders, and issue permits to settle in the city? Some cities that have become extremely popular among immigrants wish to limit the number of immigrants who can settle in the city; contrariwise, some shrinking cities have asked to be allowed to issue permits to settle in the city even if the state is less open to immigration. Arguments for and against open city borders are analysed in Chapter 1 and it proves difficult either to support or dismiss the idea using a consistent and coherent philosophical argument. The chapter also discusses selective policies of migration to cities. It is claimed that such policies are morally justifiable, provided that they do not dismiss selectively but only encourage selectively.