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book2019

Open Borders

Disciplines:
economics
political philosophy
immigration

Summary

Bryan Caplan's illustrated graphic novel case for open immigration — arguing that open borders would double world GDP and that restrictions on immigration are morally equivalent to apartheid.

Core Contribution

The economic case for open borders: the place premium (born in the U.S. vs. born in Honduras) is one of the largest sources of economic inequality in the world. Open borders would allow people to move to their highest-productivity environment, potentially doubling world GDP. The moral case: restricting where people can work based on birthplace is arbitrary discrimination. The graphic novel format was a deliberate choice to reach a broader audience than academic economics. One of the most provocative and empirically serious immigration books.

Key Spikes & Highlights

  • The graphic novel format was explicitly chosen to reach beyond Caplan's academic audience — and succeeded, making Open Borders one of the most widely discussed heterodox economics books of the 2010s despite its radical premise.

Historical Influences

Michael Clemens Julian Simon

Intellectual Lineage

Development Economics Libertarian Political Philosophy

Allied Works

The Myth of the Rational Voter One Billion Americans

Contemporaries & Peers

The Case Against Education One Billion Americans

Minds Influenced

Open Borders MovementImmigration Policy Discourse

Intellectual Posterity

Immigration Policy Debate

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