This book offers an alternative to perspectives of distributive justice which fail to resolve economic inequality and exacerbate social problems by ignoring the real causes of inequality. The main impact of the book is to highlight the importance of self-ownership and private property, showing how market participation advances liberty and prosperity.
The idea that we should pay reparations to disadvantaged racial groups as compensation for historical injustice is deeply contested. The debates often focus on the practical implications of paying reparations, but overlook more fundamental questions about the meaning of justice. What is justice? What are the implications of wealth redistribution for individual liberty and the rule of law? This book answers these questions through an analysis of classical liberal perspectives in law, philosophy and economics.
The book questions whether economic inequality stems from historical injustice, and explores the wider implications of attempting to create equal outcomes through legislative mandates. The book argues that free markets, resting on libertarian rights, are the best way to help disadvantaged members of society and to create the conditions more likely to advance economic equality. The book will be of interest to researchers and students of economics, law, politics and philosophy.
Author(s): David Gordon, Wanjiru Njoya
Series: Palgrave Studies in Classical Liberalism
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 228
City: Cham
Preface
Acknowledgements
Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Classical Liberalism and Natural-Rights Libertarianism
1.2 The Question of Racial Justice
1.3 Key Concerns in Redressing Historical Injustice
1.4 Outline of the Book
References
2 Self-Ownership and Property Rights
2.1 The Concept of Self-Ownership
2.2 Utilitarian Perspectives
2.3 Natural Law Perspectives
2.4 Inequality and the Validity of Property Rights
2.5 Is Property Merely a Cultural Construct?
2.6 The Institutional Foundations of Private Property
2.7 Natural Rights and Individual Liberty
References
3 Legacies of Injustice and Racial Inequality
3.1 The Classical Ideal of Justice: Formal Equality and Individualism
3.2 Stolen Property and Counterfactual Analysis
3.3 Legacies of Injustice
3.4 Why the Causes of Inequality Matter
3.5 Moral Emotion and the Causes of Inequality
3.6 A Consistent Approach to Comparative Analysis
3.7 The Lessons of History
References
4 Property Rights and the Rule of Law
4.1 Natural Law as a Normative Ideal
4.2 Self-Ownership, Democracy and the Rule of Law
4.3 Unjust Acquisition of Title
4.4 Redefining Property Rights
4.5 Legislative Reform
References
5 Capitalism, Markets and Economic Equality
5.1 The Morality of Capitalism
5.2 The Racial Wealth Gap
5.3 The Causes of Economic Growth
5.4 Free Markets, Productivity and Redistribution
References
6 Conclusion
6.1 State Interventions and Mixed Economies
6.2 The New Equity
6.3 Implications for Economic Development
6.4 Stateless Justice and Anarchy
References
Bibliography
Index
