The Moral Justification of Civic Duties. Co-citizens, Non-citizens and Refugees

Abstract

In the first part of the article the concept of associative duties and their justification as distinctive from general moral duties is analyzed. The second part considers associative duties to fellow citizens and distinguishing features of those duties such as reciprocity, mutuality and equal status. In the final part the author deals with specific cases concerning refugees and stresses arguments as to why the associative duties of co-citizens should overcome duties to refugees, as well as the failures of those arguments. It is argued that the status of refugees is different from the status of other non-citizens, such as immigrants, due to the lack of institutional representation and protection.