Mobility Citizenship, Inequality, and the Liberal State

This article analyzes the issue of cross-border mobility of persons viewed from a social inequality perspective. After considering the significance of social closure and border control for the historical development of modern states and citizenship, it offers a critique of restrictions on mobility rights enforced by liberal states. On the basis of empirical data on visa regulations, it demonstrates that mobility rights are distributed highly unequally, favouring citizens from rich democracies. This tendency has been accelerated and driven by the processes of globalization. The final discussion argues that under conditions of increased mobility, the polarization between those who are granted mobility rights and those who are not tends to grow.