The Border

Policy and Politics in Europe and the United States

Martin A. Schain

Provides the only comparative analysis of the emergence and development of the border as a political issue in both America and Europe
Presents a comprehensive study of where the border is and how it is used
Addresses the major issues associated with the border: asylum, immigration, detention and the construction of walls
Poses the counterintuitive argument that, in a more globalized world, borders have actually become stronger

The Border

Policy and Politics in Europe and the United States

Martin A. Schain

Description

In our globalized world, borders are back with a vengeance. New data shows a massive increase of walls and barriers between countries after 2001. However, at the same time, the flow of people and the growth of trade have continued at impressive rates, and arguments for more open borders remain relevant. In The Border, Martin Schain compares how and why border policy has become increasingly important, politicized, and divisive in both Europe and the United States. Drawing from an intensive analysis of documents and interviews, he argues that border control is a growing international movement. In Europe, the European Union is under scrutiny, and many countries seek to block the entry of asylum-seekers from wars in the Near East. In the US, Donald Trump pledged to build a wall along the Mexico border, restricted the entry of Syrian asylum-seekers, and more generally tried to ban Muslim immigration. Moreover, on both sides of the Atlantic, trade barriers appear in the political agendas of major parties. Schain delves into these interlinked phenomena, showing that migration, identity, and trade have been packaged and transformed into hotly contested issues of border governance and control.

The Border

Policy and Politics in Europe and the United States

Martin A. Schain

Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: The Problem of The Border: "Drawbridges Up"
Chapter 2: Where are the Gates? The Variable Border and Border Control
Chapter 3: Border Policies: Open and Closed Gates
Chapter 4: The Shaping of Policy
Chapter 5: The Hard Arm of the State: Policing the Border
Chapter 6: The Politics of Border Control in Europe: Policy Failure and Border Pressure
Chapter 7: The Politics of Border Control in The United States: Policy Failure and Border Pressure
Chapter 8: Conclusion: The Border is Back

The Border

Policy and Politics in Europe and the United States

Martin A. Schain

Author Information

Martin A. Schain is Professor of Politics, Emeritus, at New York University. He is the founder and former director of the Center for European Studies at New York University, former chair of the European Union Studies Association, and co-editor of Comparative European Politics. He has authored or edited multiple books, including The Politics of Immigration in France, Britain and the United States and Comparative Federalism: The European Union and the United States in Comparative Perspective, co-edited with Anand Menon (Oxford).

The Border

Policy and Politics in Europe and the United States

Martin A. Schain

Reviews and Awards

"In this excellent book, Schain sustains focus on border policy. I have been in the field for decades and I learned much from this book." -- Randall Hansen, Interim Director, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto

"A remarkable analysis on the politics of border in Europe and the US by one of the best political scientists on European and American immigration policies." -- Catherine Wihtol de Wenden, Senior Research Fellow, The French National Centre for Scientific Research

"Asylum policy is much in the news, yet reporting and scholarship on the subject raises many questions. This is the complex landscape Schain deftly navigates in this important and timely book." -- Mabel Berezin, Professor of Sociology, Cornell University

"Over the course of the book, Schain explores the evolution of border policy on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as how these policies have been enforced in Europe and the US. In both cases, problems related to migration and global interconnectedness have been framed by a complex web of interest groups, political parties, and federal competition. Perhaps Schain's most important point is that in all cases border policy has become more demanding for migrants seeking entry into nations with heavily guarded borders, but for different reasons. European nations tend to focus on questions of potential integration, while US concerns focus more on unauthorized entry and residence. Territoriality thus persists in the globalized, digitally connected world." -- T. P. Bowman, West Texas A&M University, CHOICE