Economics of Social Justice

Economics of Social Justice
WS 2005/2006

Prof. Dr. Bernhard Neumärker

Lecture

Time: Tue. 14 - 16h
Place: Peterhof HS 4

Tutorial

Time: Wed. 12 - 14h
Place: HS 1222

Start

Lecture: Second week.
Tutorial: Third week.

Target Group

This course is designated for second-year IMP-Students (Master of Economics and Politics), Diploma-Students (Hauptstudium) and students of other faculties (Magister).

Credits

IMP:

• 4 Credit Points (exam without tutorial).
• 6 Credit Points (exam including tutorial).

Diploma: Creditable to Pflichtfach "Wirtschaftspolitik: Ordnungspolitik", Pflichtwahlfächer "Ordnungs- und Wettbewerbspolitik", "Sozialpolitik".

• 4 Credit Points (exam without tutorial).
• 6 Credit Points (exam including tutorial).

Downloads

Lecture:

• Outline
• Script Part I - II.3
• Script Part II.5
• Script Part III.5

Tutorial:

• Outline
• Reading List

Outline and References

Outline

Practical policy choices involve sacrificing the well-being and the means of some for the benefits of others, as compared with alternatives that could have been chosen. Even if it is not the only thing that matters, the problem of distributive justice is essential, omnipresent and inevitable. Economists not only have failed to answer the questions of the just distribution, but have tried harder to avoid the problem than to solve it. They have a great deal to say about efficiency and potential compensation, but they are nearly silent concerning meaningful principles of justice and their effects on economic policy. One has to integrate the following normative and positive aspects of justice into the analysis of economic policy: Is social justice equality? Why (or why not)? Among whom? Is equality to each according to her abilities, her work or her consumption? Or else is it equality of opportunities, liberties, powers and/or rights? Do we need a just process or a just outcome of policy making? What are the most important elements of a just constitution? How is the reason of just rules applied to daily economic policy?

References

• Brams, S.J.; Taylor, A.D.: The Win-Win Solution: Guaranteeing Fair Shares to Everybody, New York 1999.
• Kolm, S.-C.: Modern Theories of Justice, Cambridge/MA 1996.
• Mueller, D.C.: Public Choice III, Cambridge 2003.
• Roemer, J.E.: Theories of Distributive Justice, Cambridge/MA 1996.
• Young, H.P.: Equity in Theory and Practice, Princeton/NJ 1994.