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Elite Mobility in a World of Connections and Disconnections: Golden Passports, Golden Visas, and Digital Nomads

Crossing borders is an intrinsic part of living in a world divided by countries and elite mobility is a fundamental element of global flows.

Citizenship and residence have become hot commodities. Over a dozen countries now "sell" citizenship through so-called golden passport programs and over sixty offer play-to-play residence through golden visa options. A leading expert on investment migration globally, Kristin Surak draws on over a decade of fieldwork across 22 countries and a newly assembled database of global trends to unpack the operation of the market in mobility for the privileged. Her ground-breaking research reveals the unexpected intersections of global inequalities in an ever-changing geopolitical landscape and challenges us to reconsider our basic assumptions about membership, sovereignty, inequality, and globalization.

This project is led by Dr Kristin Surak, Associate Professor of Political Sociology, LSE.