Transforming citizenship claims into residence claims A normative discussion about four theoretical approaches to a citizenship extended to aliens in the context of Scandinavia
Abstract: Noncitizens are excluded from the decision making processes inside the liberal democratic community. The aim of this study is twofold: to identify the premises for a citizenship extended to aliens, and, to identify the most viable approach to a citizenship extended to aliens in the context of the welfare state in Scandinavia. The objects of interest in the study are four theoretical approaches which specifically argue for the granting of political rights to aliens. The alternatives discussed are the approaches by Seyla Benhabib, Nancy Fraser, Saskia Sassen and Linda Bosniak. By juxtaposing these approaches, the similarities and differences have been analyzed. It was found that a variety of memberships detached from nationality are possible. The premises required for these denationalized memberships are shared however: moving away from regarding citizenship and nationality as interchangeable concepts, moving away from regarding citizenship as a fulfilled concept and by invoking a justice perspective. In the selected approaches, justice was defined as the rights of noncitizens to political voice in their new communities´ decision making processes. In the context of Scandinavia, it was found that a citizenship extended to aliens is possible if the conditions for membership are based on residence and contribution due to the Scandinavian welfare regime´s closed nature.
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