Neoliberal Social Justice: Rawls Unveiled

Description

This timely and provocative book challenges the conventional wisdom that neoliberal capitalism is incompatible with social justice. Employing public choice and market process theory, Nick Cowen systematically compares and contrasts capitalism with socialist alternatives, illustrating how proponents of social justice have decisive reasons to opt for a capitalism guided by neoliberal ideas. Cowen shows how general rules of property and voluntary exchange facilitate widespread cooperation. Revisiting the works of John Rawls, he offers an interdisciplinary reconciliation of Rawlsian principles with liberal democracy by introducing 'robust property-owning democracy', a new form of governance that aims to achieve social justice via practical, liberal means. Chapters address the knowledge problem and the incentive problem that emerge when aiming for a fair distribution of social resources and demonstrate how everyday political bargaining can help achieve just outcomes for all. Utilising insights from philosophy, politics and economics to show the role of market institutions and constitutional government in producing social justice, this book is crucial reading for academics, researchers and students of PPE and the political sciences. Its practical policy proposals will further benefit policymakers interested in mechanisms that spread the benefits of economic growth equitably. Dedication Contents Acknowledgements List of abbreviations 1 Introduction to Neoliberal Social Justice PART I: WHY INSTITUTIONS MATTER IN IDEAL THEORY 2 Ideal theory and the basic structure 3 Knowledge, not incentives PART II: DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE AND THE KNOWLEDGE PROBLEM 4 Rawls’ neoclassical economics 5 The burdens of knowledge 6 Why capitalism 7 Why not market socialism 8 Why not economic democracy PART III: DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE AND THE INCENTIVE PROBLEM 9 Fairness failure 10 The constitutional point of view 11 The robust case for behavioural symmetry PART IV: DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE AND ECONOMIC LIBERTY 12 Basic economic liberties and the moral powers 13 The subjective and objective conditions of the circumstances of justice 14 Developing moral capacities PART V: ROBUST PROPERTY-OWNING DEMOCRACY 15 Defining property-owning democracy 16 The robustness critique of property-owning democracy 17 The case for a robust property-owning democracy 18 Conclusion to Neoliberal Social Justice Index