‘Long-Distance Citizens’: Strategies and Interests of States, Companies and Individuals in the Global Race for Wealth

Abstract

This chapter looks at the interests and strategies of states, companies and individuals as key actors in the global market for citizenship. The chapter first looks at the global race for wealth, arguing that global mobility of people and capital offers a structure of opportunity for states to develop policies targeting the wealthy. It then analyses how private companies engage in standard-setting and building a global regulatory framework for investment-based citizenship. The chapter examines the profile of beneficiaries of ius pecuniae and identifies patterns of interests that such individuals might have in obtaining status on grounds of investment. By doing so, it also reflects on the problematic aspects of such a market for citizenship (e.g. corruption), and their manifestations in domestic politics and international relations.