COMMODIFIED CITIZENSHIP 7
Running head: COMMODIFIED CITIZENSHIP 1
Commodified Citizenship
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Commodified Citizenship
Cash-for-passport is an emerging trend where individuals with financial might can acquire multiple citizenships globally in a world that is becoming increasingly capitalistic. In the past, the extent of identity associated with citizenship was priceless, and nation-states were willing to defend this status as part of each’s social responsibility. Nonetheless, as the neoliberal perspectives continue to become widespread, aspects such as citizenship that would formerly be considered inestimable have become overly commodified. Today, citizenship has become a commodity that is readily available to the highest bidder. This paper dissects the changing scope in the commodification of citizenship. The surge in the commodification of citizenship introduces critical ethical and legal concerns to nationalists especially on the meaning attached to the state of belonging to a specific political community.
Background
The term citizenship refers to an innate or acquired status of belonging to a specific country. The custom or laws in particular countries have varying approaches in recognition of individuals as being part of such sovereign states. The process of acquiring citizenship in most countries has traditionally been by birth or through naturalization. The approach introduces an essential element of identity and social connectedness among citizens who fall within the same social and political community (Grell-Brisk, 2018). Citizenship was, therefore, traditionally an affirmation of nationalism and loyalty among members in a country or nation state. The changing view of citizenship and the apparent monetary value attached to the status in the modern social setting raises fundamental concerns about the possible consequences of commodified citizenship from a socialistic and legalistic point of view.
Citizenship as a Matter of Government Policy
Traditionally, the value attached to citizenship often based on the mystery of birth. The unexplainable reality is that no one decides of their place of birth. The sheer luck of being born an American and not a Mexican determines the rights that Americans enjoy. The same case applies in countries such as the United Kingdom or Canada which are considered developed or first world countries. Governments in these countries often determine the most plausible policy approach to adopt when dealing with the concerns around citizenship in such nation-states (Konrad & Rees, 2019). However, in recent years, this approach seems to have taken a different turn. Today, the ability to acquire citizenship in the United Kingdom or on most of the other developed countries is dependent on the highest bidder.
The governments in countries such as the United States have introduced policies that seem to specifically discourage the poor from potential entry into such countries while introducing measures that appear to embolden the rich. For instance, a recent policy aimed at limiting the poor from entering the European Economic Area set a minimum income threshold for all non-European spouses to individuals with British citizenship of $ 23, 1000 (Moshinsky, 2017). Arguably, this is an income threshold that most impoverished individuals are unable to attain. The consequence of such an approach is that is a ripple effect on the long-term survival of such a spouse in the European countries without their respective families, and they eventually relinquish their citizenship in favor of their families. Conversely, in situations where the spouse can comfortably make more than $ 23,100 as annual income, they can acquire such citizenship and can settle into any European country without having to experience any potential backlash due to the existing government policies.
The Cash-for –Passport Programs
In the past, it was assumed that there were things money could never buy. Citizenship or the right to nationality was among such things. The assumption has changed over time as it has emerged in recent years that indeed, cash –for –passport programs have become another source of income, especially in emerging economies. Thailand is a singular example of this apparent commodification of citizenship. The country offers an opportunity for elite residency to individuals, who can purchase elite homes in the country (Maveli, 2018). The elite programs in the Thai nation offer such wealthy individuals options that spread across twenty to countless years in a plan that seeks to boost the country’s real estate market. The residency visa in the country has been at the center of heated legal and social debate as the value of citizenship gradually diminishes.
The same trend is replicated in most of the Caribbean countries where wealthy nationals can acquire homes near beaches and offshore in a plan that also guarantees them second citizenship. In countries such as Spain, any wealthy foreigner is allowed to invest in the Golden Visa Program, which provides the individual with various options for residency. The possibilities include investments in real estate, government bonds, and shares. In Spain and Greece, such investments can earn an investor in permanent citizenship after ten years of active investment (Moshinsky, 2017). The evidence from these countries serves to confirm the reality that indeed, citizenship has become a commodity that is readily available to the highest bidder. The consequence of this apparent change in the overall view of citizenship is a legal and social hiatus in the cementing of national identity among citizens.
The Implications of the Commodification of Citizenship
The debate around globalization and the implication it has on capitalism is often shrouded in divergent views and opinions. However, evidence suggests that with the onset of globalization, proponents of capitalist notions have become keen on expanding the respective sources of revenue. Nonetheless, the principal question is the possible consequence that such an approach has on issues such as citizenship and nationalism ( Shachar, 2009). First, it is agreeable that commodified citizenship introduces an apparent extent of inequality between the rich and the poor based on the financial tag attached to the value of citizenship.
The commodification of citizenship then means that there is a specific extent of privilege that is a reserve of the affluent, which then limits the chance that the poor or impoverished in the community can enjoy the same opportunity. Essentially, this is unethical because it borders on discrimination and prejudice. The commodification of citizenship also has certain extents of illegality because it tends to take away the inalienable legal status that citizens have, which guarantee such individuals a bundle of rights and a sense of belonging (Shachar, 2009). The extent of Similarly, when the right to citizenship is based on the financial muscle it is highly likely that concerns such as global insecurity may emerge because the benchmark in such cases is money and not an individual’s reputation.
Conclusion
The commodification of citizenship seems to be in line with the attempt to harness the role of globalization in the modern capitalist context. However, this is in disregard of the ethical, social and legal implications that the cash-for-passport approach to citizenship has on the receiving counties. This paper notes that commodified citizenship leads to social inequality, the dilution of nationalism, and a legal consequence on the legitimate claim of nationhood among individuals who attain such citizenship by birth.
References
Grell-Brisk, M. (2018). “Eluding national boundaries: A Case Study of Commodified Citizenship and the Transnational Capitalist Class. Societies, 8(2), 35. doi:10.3390/soc8020035
Konrad, K. A., & Rees, R. (2019). “Citizenship for sale: A Dilemma of Rights.” SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3324129
Mavelli, L. J. (2018). “Citizenship for sale and the neoliberal political economy of belonging.” International Studies Quarterly, 62(3), 482-493. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/isq/article/62/3/482/4996972
Moshinsky, B. (2017, April 7). You can buy elite residency in Thailand for $ 60,000? And the government will even provide a ‘concierge’ service. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/you-can-buy-elite-residency-in-thailand-for-60000-and-the-government-will-even-provide-a-concierge-a7672781.html
Shachar, A. (2009). The Birthright Lottery. Cambridge Mass, MA: Harvard University Press.