How compatible are open borders with a welfare state?

It's a difficult question to figure out the economics of what people contribute versus what they receive in social services. There's always long standing questions on how that works and whether different peoples “pay enough”. read more

This problem of combining welfare and open borders is highly exaggerated. We would be fine if we tried it. The current citizens of any welfare state could already bankrupt the nation by exhausting welfare, but they don’t. Most people don’t want to be on welfare and governments have plenty of means to protect their budget against the rest. read more

Open borders or high-wage welfare state Too many progressives are afraid to admit that secure borders are essential to a strong social safety net Michael Lind May 4, 2010 11:01am (UTC) Arizona's new immigration law has provoked a firestorm of denunciation from progressives. read more

But the welfare state is already here— and, far from having a wall built around it, the welfare state is expanding in all directions by leaps and bounds. We do not have a choice between the welfare state and open borders. read more

While most open-border libertarians proclaim a desire to dismantle both borders and the welfare state, in practice what they offer is open borders today and a vague (and almost certainly illusory) promise to end the welfare state in the indefinite future. read more