Refugee and poverty migration is one of the key challenges developed
Western societies are facing. Due to the unstable political situation in many
parts of the world and the lasting high differences in development between the
economies, these migratory movements will continue to increase in the future. In
order to channel immigrants, the authors suggest that migrants must pay an entry
premium to obtain a permanent right of residence. We criticize this proposal from
both an ethical and an economi…
Read moreRefugee and poverty migration is one of the key challenges developed
Western societies are facing. Due to the unstable political situation in many
parts of the world and the lasting high differences in development between the
economies, these migratory movements will continue to increase in the future. In
order to channel immigrants, the authors suggest that migrants must pay an entry
premium to obtain a permanent right of residence. We criticize this proposal from
both an ethical and an economic perspective. We argue that a pricing system is
neither ethically legitimate nor economically sensible. In order to meet the chal-
lenges of migration, a fundamental change in economic cooperation between
developed and less developed economies is more appropriate.