Migration Flows and the Future of Democracy and World Order

Abstract

The political salience of policy issue arenas related to the movement of people, including immigration, citizenship, and asylum, has increased in recent decades and is likely to continue to escalate for the foreseeable future, because of both real dynamics of migration flows and because of political dynamics including reactions to the Covid-19 pandemic. Existing governance regimes at the global, regional, and national levels somewhat order the migration issue arena and do much humanitarian good, but they also generate new problems and injustices. The perception of disorder in migration and citizenship are likely to continue to present challenges for liberal democracy and for international cooperation. This article outlines the contours of challenges of governing the movement of people since the end of the Cold War.