Open Borders: The Science and Ethics of Immigration Paperback – October 29, 2019

This book is written by an economist who very obviously knows this issue well. The first half of the book concerns a whole range of objections critics might have against open borders. He presents each of these objections fairly and clearly, and he responds to each of them as persuasively as can be done in a brief graphic novel. If you object to immigration because of economic, cultural, or political worries, he's got you covered. His writing is an honest and systematic response to his harshest crtiics, never propping up any obvious strawmen.The latter half of this book is about his solution, open borders. He presents his case from a diverse range of philosophical perspectives. He shows that if you're a utilitarian, a deontologist, a libertarian, a Christian, a Rawlsian, a liberal or conservative, you too should be in favor of open borders! And if not open borders, at least consider "keyhole solutions," policies that allow for immigration but that target the particular concern you have about immigrants. His arguments are stronger and more persuasive than most you'll see floating around in the news.Finally, all throughout this book is Zach Weinersmith's artwork. Each panel is impressive and well-illustrated, oftentimes with subtle references that an attentive reader can get a chuckle from.For anyone remotely interested in learning more about immigration policy, you could do much worse than buying this great graphic novel!

Isn't it funny how many of the people who are the happiest to proclaim the wonders of a free market are often some of the first to condemn the idea of a free LABOR market (i.e. open open borders)?This book sums up this point nicely. I've always believed that free markets are an enormous force for good... but in order for them to work their magic people need access to them. That means free immigration, and open borders. I really love how this book makes a detailed well-researched case for open borders, with clear rebuttals for the obvious counterarguments and objections.To be blunt, I wish every idiot who thought "The Wall" was a good idea was handed a copy of this book (or maybe... just possibly... smacked upside the head with it. Metaphorically. Unless, perhaps, it's the softer, paperback edition, and we're talking about one of the bad ones who has started in on the racial slurs.) The book is so straightforward and well done, I think even some of them might be able to grasp the ideas presented here. It's that good.Get a copy for yourself, and one for every closed minded idiot you know.

Caplan confronts every popular objection to open borders, most of them quite directly and with demonstrations that the weight of the evidence is in favor of an economic benefit to natives, not just immigrants. He frequently concedes to research showing that immigration can be an acute detriment in some cases, which raises my trust that he's not cherry-picking.The thrust of Caplan's argument comes from the overwhelming benefit immigration is likely to have for the world as a whole, BUT even if you value your nation's economic prosperity above all else, you might be convinced (I would have been, if that were my position). If you only value the preservation of your nation's culture or genes, though, this book obviously won't sway you.Caplan is incredibly thorough in advocating for the implementation of open borders, showing how most mainstream ethical philosophies endorse equal access to jobs regardless of nationality if Earth's population is used as the reference frame. He ends pragmatically, by proposing policies to increase immigration from the current baseline while restricting it somewhat to assuage immigration objectors' fears.Weinersmith's illustrations are dynamic and funny and supplement the text to make Open Borders an exceedingly quick and high-density read.

Overall, an entertaining and informative graphic novel. I like seeing the creativity in making comics for a policy position and seeing how the mix of the humor and economics from the author Caplan and art by Zach Weinersmith create arguments that are less academic and easy to follow.Some of the weak-points of this method, though, are due to the non-academic style. While there are notes at the back of the book, the argumentation does not use as long of sentences and it is a little bit harder to source things. Overall, these weaknesses do not feel all that bad compared to the advantages.Now, as to the substance to the book. A quick summary: thoughtful discussion of the economic and human impact. The negative is that it argues for open borders based on extrapolation, whereas I think this is actually stronger argument for slowly increasing immigration and making sure the benefits keep accruing for all. It is important to realize that it is advocating open borders and not "no borders", meaning foreigners should have the same amount of restrictions as natives for finding work in a country. The reasons for this are well-illustrated (metaphorically and literally) by quoting the economic arguments and showing that many of the cultural arguments have not been borne out by what's happened. The data is from good sources and the arguments are usually good. Thus, it makes a compelling case for open borders, overall. It was especially informative for me that it looks at the case for low-skilled immigrants. The argument is less clear-cut than for high-skilled immigrants, and I found the discussion very informative [I was happy to see that the author honestly included data of concern for his case, such as the illiberal views of low-skilled immigrants]. There is even a chapter that says if no open borders, then here is some policy that will encourage immigration but remove arguments against (such as immigrants not having access to the welfare state if that is a concern).I still have some criticisms of the presentation, however. The book wants to argue that unrestricted immigration would be good based on what we know about restricted immigration [Often the arguments use simple multiplier theories that I find completely unconvincing. I doubt it would be easy to extrapolate, though I couldn't say if the non-linearity would be favorable or unfavorable towards more immigration]. It is not clear what would happen if open borders were implemented tomorrow all around the world with what we know now. There may be a critical ratio or number such that immigration could be harmful after exceeding some amount (there are plausible mechanisms such as infrastructure overload or the creation of small states within the state at large enough numbers [again, I am not saying this will happen, but just saying it cannot be ruled out since we don't have the data]) . It may or may not be, but without some country getting close to those limits we can't say with much confidence. I think if this were acknowledged the case would be more persuasive. [The book is highly US-centric, and looking at the Wikipedia list for foreign-born population, it looks like Australia is probably the highest percentage foreign-born that is democratic and fairly large. As far as I know, it also is mostly receptive to high-skill immigrants. If there are some counterexamples or data on countries with a large proportion of immigrants due to open-borders of some sort, I'd like to see it.]

Un comic muy largo, bien ilustrado y muy interesante por 15€, ¿qué más se puede pedir? La calidad del papel es bastante buena. Los dibujos no son nada del otro mundo pero cumplen su cometido, los argumentos son buenos y los chistecitos están simpáticos. Por ponerle alguna pega es un producto muy enfocado al mercado gringo y habla claramente a la gente de allí.

If you believe [like me] that Capitalism maximizes happiness (or wellbeing) and reduces poverty, suffering, and deaths, then this book is a must read!

J'aime beaucoup l'auteur, pour son dessin et surtout pour son humour et son spectre d'intérêts et de connaissances très large !Je recommande la lecture de cette BD, pour l'ouverture d'esprit à avoir sur l'immigration.

Loved reading this book. It has a lot of good points and is for right wing and left wing people alike. If you are right wing you will find many of your fears answeredy if you are leftwing you will get valuable arguments and facts you didn't knew before. It's US centric but that doesn't really is a big problem except if you are set in your mind about this issue in your country anyway.

I devoured this book! Couldn't put it down.Caplan and Weinersmith present the science and ethics of immigration in an exhaustive and entertaining way. The book addresses the many different justifications for migration restrictions, from fiscal and economic concerns to concerns over culture and IQ, and it offers excellent rebuttals to each of them. The authors went out of their way to treat the critics' views fairly on their own terms—a rare feat given the current state of the culture war.After reading this book, I wanted to know about some of the topics in more detail, so I flipped to the endnotes, which are a treasure trove of additional discussion, useful citations, and mathematical details behind all the stats. Don't skip the endnotes!Whatever your views on migration, you are bound to find this book challenging and enlightening.