Marketizing Sovereign Prerogatives

How to Sell Citizenship

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4848255
AutoresKristin Surak (0000-0001-5064-2579, London School of Economics and Political Science, autor de correspondencia)
Año2021
Volumen62
Número2
Páginas275-308
Fecha de publicación2021-08-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEuropean Journal of Sociology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0003-9756 • E-ISSN: 1474-0583
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0003975621000217
OpenAlexW3210860827
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas11
Referencias citadas55

How is a sovereign prerogative brought to market? We know much about how states shape markets and vice versa, but less about the dynamics when states not only set market rules, but are also the sole producer of the good. This article takes up the case of citizenship by investment-"golden passport" programs that offer citizenship in recognition of an investment in a country-to unpack the challenges that appear when states commodify sovereign prerogatives. In these cases, the state holds multiple roles that generate conflicts of interest and a concern for credibility. To address these concerns, states may adopt two strategies: institute a division of labor in issuing the product, and outsource elements of supervision to third-party actors. Empirically, the analysis shows how migration service providers retooled murky discretionary grants of citizenship in peripheral countries into formal citizenship by investment schemes. The conclusion addresses how these strategies apply in markets for other sovereign prerogatives, particularly government debt, and discusses the implications for citizenship and neoliberalism

Business · Citizenship · Credibility · Economics · Investment (military) · Law and economics · Market economy · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Prerogative · Sovereignty · State (computer science) · International Arbitration and Investment Law · Law · Legal principles and applications · State Capitalism and Financial Governance