Machin, Dean (2013) Rawls's difference principle as compensation for social immobility. The Political Quarterly, Volume 84 (Number 4). pp. 506-514. doi:10.1111/j.1467-923X.2013.12049.x

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Abstract

Outside academia, John Rawls's theory of justice—justice as fairness—has had little impact. This article is part of a broader project to rectify this. I offer a distinctive, second-best, argument for Rawls's difference principle. The difference principle requires that inequalities in income and wealth are justified only if they benefit society's least-advantaged citizens. My paper argues that, slightly-modified, the difference principle is an excellent principle of redress in light of the UK's continued failure to give all citizens fair career chances. I show how we might realize the difference principle at the level of policy through tax rate reductions or negative tax rates. I conclude that if you don't want to accept the second-best argument for the difference principle you must get serious about giving all citizens fair career chances. As I suggest, this task is extremely difficult.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Philosophy
Journal or Publication Title:	The Political Quarterly
Publisher:	Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
ISSN:	1467-923X
Official Date:	2013
Dates:	Date Event 2013 Published
Volume:	Volume 84
Number:	Number 4
Page Range:	pp. 506-514
DOI:	10.1111/j.1467-923X.2013.12049.x
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access

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