The push-pull theory is regarded as a modern framework in migration studies. This article challenges this view by tracing debates on attracting and retaining foreigners back to the seventeenth century. It compares four major economic theories and their policy prescriptions concerning immigration. Mercantilism held that to be wealthy, a sovereign state should possess gold and a large population. The article explores three other theories: cameralism, physiocracy, and classical economics. While cameralists held similar views to mercantilists, physiocrats and classical economists fundamentally disagreed. But did their theoretical disputes translate into divergent immigration prescriptions? This article shows that despite disagreements on wealth, money, and population, the four theories converged on an “overlapping consensus” regarding migration. After reviewing the major authors of each school, I reconstruct their arguments around three dilemmas. First, should migrants receive equal rights with natives or be privileged over them? Second, what is the nature of pull factors: are they political (rights, tolerance, freedom, participation), economic (fiscal relief, subventions), or social (cultural ethos, language, respect), geographical (climate, distance, mobility infrastructures)? Thirdly, what are the limits of attracting immigrants: are there numerical limits or socio-professional requirements, like skills selection? Although answers were similar across theories, these debates remain understudied in contemporary migration theory.

In the contemporary ethics of immigration, the “conventional view” is often assumed to be restrictionist: the claim that states have a moral right to control im...

Il est rare qu’un droit fondamental soit ignoré par l’historiographie. La liberté de circulation ne l’est pas complétement : elle a suscité quelques précieuses études, comme celles des spécialistes...

Il est rare qu’un droit fondamental soit ignoré par l’historiographie. La liberté de circulation ne l’est pas complétement : elle a suscité quelques précieuses études, comme celles des spécialistes...

Militant feminist led campaigns to legalise abortion and divorce and went on to become foreign minister

Il est rare qu’un droit fondamental soit ignoré par l’historiographie. La liberté de circulation ne l’est pas complétement : elle a suscité quelques précieuses études, comme celles des spécialistes...

Il est rare qu’un droit fondamental soit ignoré par l’historiographie. La liberté de circulation ne l’est pas complétement : elle a suscité quelques précieuses études, comme celles des spécialistes...

Analysis of neighbourhoods in more than 100 US cities finds no evidence that rising numbers of undocumented immigrants are linked with violent crime.

Arrêté en mars 2025 après un problème de visa, Julien Pereira, 26 ans, a passé un mois en détention avant d'être contraint de rentrer en France. Il raconte le traumatisme de cette expérience et la vie...

Authorities say application to stay was made too late, as UK officials say Sweden takes ‘stricter approach’ than other EU countries

Free movement is a fantastic thing, and we should say it.

Brookings guest authors break down a recent DHS rule change and what it means for US temporary visa holders and the broader economy

Ryanair has also warned passengers travelling to Europe this summer to prepare for extended waits.

La cour d’appel de Paris a fait une fleur à Marine Le Pen en la rendant de nouveau éligible tout en la condamnant. Une faveur dont n’ont pas bénéficié d’autres élus condamnés pour des atteintes à la …

In the contemporary ethics of immigration, the “conventional view” is often assumed to be restrictionist: the claim that states have a moral right to control im...

In the contemporary ethics of immigration, the “conventional view” is often assumed to be restrictionist: the claim that states have a moral right to control im...