Protecting the Global Environment by Gary C. Bryner

Author:Gary C. Bryner [Bryner, Gary C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Political Science, General
ISBN: 9781317253389
Google: KmLvCgAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 27890782
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2011-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Addressing Inequality

Both the stark differences between the life chances and quality of life of the wealthy and the poor and the tremendous human suffering associated with extreme poverty inspire claims that equality should be a global public policy priority. Yet even among those who prioritize equality there is considerable disagreement about what it means. Economists, political scientists, and other social scientists have long debated how to measure and assess levels of economic equality and inequality. Philosophers and others have offered competing justifications and descriptions of equality, rooted in such fundamental normative conceptions as human dignity and worth, freedom and individual autonomy, and collective obligations to and responsibilities for those who are most vulnerable.

Proponents of equality rest their arguments for making a public commitment to promote equality on various foundations. Providing for an equal distribution of resources, or at least some level of redistribution from the wealthy to the poor, reflects a recognition of the profound and equal worth of each person. A redistribution of resources toward the poor can also be justified by the value of ensuring everyone has at least some of the resources necessary to become authors of their own lives and to make and pursue basic life choices. Because inequality often results from the actions of others, such as colonial-like exploitation of natural resources or corrupt governments or civil wars, there is a moral obligation to remedy past injustices. Equality is intertwined with democracy and empowering individuals to participate in political, as well as economic and social activities.

Egalitarianism takes many other forms, as its proponents grapple with issues such as when should all people be treated the same, when should people in like circumstances be treated alike, and what distinctions are legitimate ones for basing differences in treatment. Libertarian egalitarians believe that every person should be left alone as much as possible to pursue those life choices; for them the role of public policy is to provide essential public goods, enforce private contracts, and then get out of the way so people can make of their lives what they can. People should enjoy equal freedom and be as free as possible from collective efforts that may actually increase inequalities, such as public policies that reward the politically well connected at the expense of everyone else. Though basing their conclusions on an individualistic conception of human nature, liberal egalitarians accept public intervention to ensure that every person enjoys at least some level of the prerequisites for a self-directed life because they believe that many people lack the genetic endowment, nurturing childhood, or physical health or are subject to a host of other factors beyond their control that nevertheless shape their life chances. Conversely, communitarian egalitarians justify egalitarianism by its effects on communities rather than individuals; they regard equality as more conducive to the spirits of solidarity and sharing needed to maintain the communities that sustain human life and provide the infrastructure necessary to individual self-realization. In all, there are enough variants of equality to satisfy adherents of a tremendously wide range of political and economic ideologies.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.