Immigration and Redistribution in a Global Era

Abstract

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and our respective universities. We are grateful for the encouragement of Michael Wallerstein, Samuel Bowles, and Pranab Bardhan. None of these institutions or individuals is responsible for any errors of fact or interpretation. IMMIGRATION AND REDISTRIBUTION IN A GLOBAL ERA Debates about the impact of globalization on the redistributive capacities of the state have paid remarkably little attention to the most human dimension of the global era, the movement of millions of people around the globe. There are intense debates about whether globalization constrains the room to manoeuvre available to nation states, or tilts the domestic political balance between traditional supporters and opponents of the welfare state. But students of globalization have largely ignored the impact of immigration on the politics of redistribution. This intellectual divide presumably reflects the fact that immigration has not been part of the international process of economic liberalization in recent decades. Whereas multilateral agreements have facilitated trade and capital flows around the world, the movement of people remains regulated by national laws. Immigration was deliberately left beyond the ambit of trade agreements, and immigration policy continues to reflect the resilience of nation states and

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