In Our Interest How Democracies Can Make Immigration Popular
"Over the past century, the US and other high-income countries have adopted severe immigration restrictions, effectively banning most of the world's willing workers from moving there. Despite the well-documented economic costs of these restrictions to receiving and sending countries, elected officials dismiss any possibility of relaxing them as politically unfeasible. Unlike comparable books that simply try to explain public opposition to immigration, In Our Interest uniquely examines under what conditions most voters in rich democracies would actually accept more open immigration policies. Looking beyond the common stereotype of inherently xenophobic voters, this book considers the role of people's genuine altruism toward compatriots as a central driver of both public support and opposition to open immigration. Building on original surveys with incentivized experiments from the UK and the US, alongside a wealth of cross-national public opinion data from Europe and North America, the book reveals that most people are "altruistic nationalists"-they are willing to incur a personal cost to benefit others, but they prioritize helping their fellow citizens. As a result, voters, and especially those who are more altruistic, tend to oppose freer immigration when they believe it threatens the well-being of their compatriots. But, while immigration can never become popular and sustainable in a modern democracy based on humanitarian intentions alone, the book shows that most people are willing to embrace open immigration policies when they are clearly in their nation's interest. The book offers a clear path forward-enacting gradual pro-immigration reforms that prioritize skilled and otherwise needed foreign workers. As In Our Interest optimistically suggests, such open yet selective immigration regulations would not just be good policy-it could also be good politics. Only when voters are confident that their government is managing immigration in their country's interest, can they support freer immigration in general, including that of those fleeing persecution and poverty."--
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Description
"Over the past century, the US and other high-income countries have adopted severe immigration restrictions, effectively banning most of the world's willing workers from moving there. Despite the well-documented economic costs of these restrictions to receiving and sending countries, elected officials dismiss any possibility of relaxing them as politically unfeasible. Unlike comparable books that simply try to explain public opposition to immigration, In Our Interest uniquely examines under what conditions most voters in rich democracies would actually accept more open immigration policies. Looking beyond the common stereotype of inherently xenophobic voters, this book considers the role of people's genuine altruism toward compatriots as a central driver of both public support and opposition to open immigration. Building on original surveys with incentivized experiments from the UK and the US, alongside a wealth of cross-national public opinion data from Europe and North America, the book reveals that most people are "altruistic nationalists"-they are willing to incur a personal cost to benefit others, but they prioritize helping their fellow citizens. As a result, voters, and especially those who are more altruistic, tend to oppose freer immigration when they believe it threatens the well-being of their compatriots. But, while immigration can never become popular and sustainable in a modern democracy based on humanitarian intentions alone, the book shows that most people are willing to embrace open immigration policies when they are clearly in their nation's interest. The book offers a clear path forward-enacting gradual pro-immigration reforms that prioritize skilled and otherwise needed foreign workers. As In Our Interest optimistically suggests, such open yet selective immigration regulations would not just be good policy-it could also be good politics. Only when voters are confident that their government is managing immigration in their country's interest, can they support freer immigration in general, including that of those fleeing persecution and poverty."--
