The Border

In The Border, Martin A. Schain examines why border policies have been changing and the influence of immigration politics. Schain shows how the political process of boundary-making and enforcement has resulted in new political and legal forms and administrative organizations. Comparing France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, he makes the counter-intuitive argument that, in a more globalized world, borders have actually become stronger. He uncovers the story of how liberal democracies have sidestepped the constraints of "embedded liberalism," the limits imposed by courts and legislative action by human rights groups. In spite of innovative legal and administrative institutions, barriers to entry remain.