What is a fair distribution of resources
and other goods when individuals are partly responsible for their achievements?
This book develops a theory of fairness incorporating a concern for personal
responsibility, opportunities and freedom. With a critical perspective, it makes
accessible the recent developments in economics and philosophy that define
social justice in terms of equal opportunities. It also proposes new
perspectives and original ideas. The book separates mathematical sections from
the rest of the text, so that the main concepts and ideas are easily accessible
to non-technical readers. It is often thought that responsibility is a complex
notion, but this monograph proposes a simple analytical framework that makes it
possible to disentangle the different concepts of fairness that deal with
neutralizing inequalities for which the individuals are not held responsible,
rewarding their effort, respecting their choices, or staying neutral with
respect to their responsibility sphere. It dwells on paradoxes and
impossibilities only as a way to highlight important ethical options and always
proposes solutions and reasonable compromises among the conflicting values
surrounding equality and responsibility. The theory is able to incorporate
disincentive problems and is illustrated in the examination of applied policy
issues such as: income redistribution when individuals may be held responsible
for their choices of labor supply or education; social and private insurance
when individuals may be held responsible for their risky lifestyle; second
chance policies; the measurement of inequality of opportunities and social
mobility.
