National Limits to Democratic Citizenship
Ratio Juris, Volume 11, Issue 1, March 1998, Pages 51–66
Posted: 4 Mar 2018
Date Written: March 1998
Abstract
The author claims that the national community's right to self-definition regarding membership finds some limits in its commitment to a liberal democratic order. Among these is the ultimate exclusion of permanent resident aliens from the sphere of civic equality. To the extent that access to the equal enjoyment of rights is connected to national citizenship as a membership status, the argument goes, permanent resident aliens should be granted the nationality of the country of residence automatically and unconditionally. The author also explores some objections that can be raised against this claim from a concern with the preservation of both a fair scheme of distribution of burdens and benefits within the state and the integrative capacity of liberal democracies.
Keywords: Democracy, Citizenship, Resident Aliens
JEL Classification: K00
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation