Philosophical Foundations of Borders

In this episode of Econ 102 originally aired on the Sphere Podcast, Noah Smith and Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry sit down for a debate on immigration. They cover the philosophical underpinnings of their arguments, where they find common ground, border enforcement, deportation, public opinion, and more.

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• Noah Smith and Pascal Emmanuel Gobry (PEG) engaged in a debate about immigration policy, focusing primarily on illegal immigration and enforcement approaches.
• The conversation centered on philosophical positions about borders, practical enforcement strategies, and the societal impacts of immigration policies.
• Both agreed that nations should have borders and control who enters, though they differed on enforcement methods.
• Noah advocated for employer-focused enforcement through company audits and fines rather than deportations.
• PEG supported stronger deportation measures and argued for the value of deterrence.
• They debated whether deportations would reduce crime affecting legal residents.
• Both agreed on the fiscal costs of illegal immigration as a significant issue.
• They discussed the political challenges of passing immigration reform.

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Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
05:00 – Philosophical Foundations: Borders, Nations, and Policy
09:00 – “No Human is Illegal” & Historical Context
13:25 – Sponsors: Notion | Netsuite
15:30 – Enforcement, Detention, and Public Perception
24:00 – Asylum Law, Legislative Gridlock, and Political Realities
28:10 – Sponsor: Found
41:00 – Mass Deportation: Crime, Economics, and Evidence
56:00 – Trust, Public Sentiment, and Policy Limits
1:10:00 – Final Thoughts & Outro
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Listen to the Sphere Podcast:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/48eWEcxSYDyrgjC3lO0EJZ

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB2gs2TBXeP7vyn9QUaaxjQ
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FOLLOW on X:

Pascal - https://x.com/pegobry_en

Noah - https://x.com/Noahpinion

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