James Quinlan (2014) The Case of Nationality and the Duty to Assist – Do we have greater obligations of justice to co-nationals?

This article challenges the belief that shared nationality is a reason to offer greater support to one individual over another. It draws upon a range of social science research, ranging from philosophy, to psychology and social anthropology, to analyse why nationality could be seen to bind people together and to argue that, in fact, it should not. It contends that a duty of assistance applies no more to our fellow citizens than to those overseas. It challenges the importance of nationality in an increasingly globalised world, and argues that, in the end, rather than there being a greater moral duty to help fellow countrymen, we are more likely to help them over foreigners because we can see the results more easily and thus receive a boost to our egos more readily.

Photo downloaded from Flickr, taken from Keoki Seu under Creative Commons License.

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Youth Voice Journal is an international, multidisciplinary, refereed journal that publishes theoretical contributions and empirical studies on international issues affecting young people. In particular, the Journal aims to: - provide a medium, especially for young researchers and young academics, to inform debates around social policy through high quality research; - provide a platform for the intellectual exchange of ideas around the globe with the aim of influencing policies and practices; - actively encourage and aide those young people whose voice is rarely heard by policy makers to contribute to the journal. Youth Voice Journal is published by IARS Publications and edited by Dr. Theo Gavrielides.

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