The theoretical case for open borders is pretty good. But you might worry a lot about the downside risk of implementing such a big, effectively irreversible (it’d be nigh impossible to deport millions and millions of immigrants) policy change. What if the theory’s wrong and the result is catastrophe?
Just like with futarchy, we might first try out a promising policy like open borders at the state level, to see how it goes. E.g., let people immigrate to just one US state with only minimal conditions. Scaling up a tested policy if it works and abandoning it if it doesn’t should capture most of its upside risk while avoiding most of the downside risk.
The theoretical case for open borders is pretty good. But you might worry a lot about the downside risk of implementing such a big, effectively irreversible (it’d be nigh impossible to deport millions and millions of immigrants) policy change. What if the theory’s wrong and the result is catastrophe?
Just like with futarchy, we might first try out a promising policy like open borders at the state level, to see how it goes. E.g., let people immigrate to just one US state with only minimal conditions. Scaling up a tested policy if it works and abandoning it if it doesn’t should capture most of its upside risk while avoiding most of the downside risk.