Economic Justice

Links and government documents

• Debt. A report by the Internation Monetary Fund that argues that severe austerity measures designed to reduce debt, can, in bad economic times, do far more damage than good.
  
  
• Financial Crisis Inquiry Report. The 2011 final report of the National Commission on the Causes of the Financial and Economic Crisis in the United States. Details and seeks to explain the collapse of the financial system and the following depression.
  
  
• Fewer families are living in middle class communities. Report, drawn from recent Census data, from the Russell Sage Foundation and Stanford University.
  
  
• Narveson, Jan.  Bibliography of many of his articles.  He is a leading exponent of libertarianism.
  
  
• Rags to Riches (and Riches to Rags) is a Hollywood Fiction, rarely found in real life.
  
  
• Tax Rates, Job Creation, and Economic Growth. Does Trickle Down Economics Work. A 2012 Report by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.
  
  
• The Rich Get Richer. A report on the growing gap between the wealthiest Americans and everyone else. By the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
   
• United Nations. International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights.  The text was completed in 1966, and many countries have ratified it.  The United State is not one of them.

Philosophical Essays

• D'Agostino, Fred. "Original Position." An explanation of this central notion in John Rawls's Theory of Justice.  Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
  
  
• Elster, Jon. "The Idea of Equality Revisited." in J. Altham and R. Harrison, eds., World, Mind, and Ethics: a Festschrift for Bernard Williams, Cambridge University Press.
  
  
• Honderich, Ted. "What Equality Is."
   
• LaFollette, Hugh.  "Why Libertarianism Is Mistaken.". From Justice and Economic Distribution (1977).  A critique of libertarianism, with a special focus on Nozick's version.
  
  
• Lamont, Julian. "Distributive Justice."  Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
  
  
• Murphy, Liam. "Institutions and the Demands of Justice.".  From Philosophy and Public Affairs.  [pdf],
  
  
• Roemer, John.  "Equality and Responsibility."  From the Boston Review.  Roemer argues that the equality undergirding the "welfare state" is best understood as equality of opportunity.  Also links to a series of commentaries on this essay.
  
  
• Van Parijs, Philippe.  "A Basic Income for All."  From the Boston Review.  An argument that all people should receive a basic income.
  
  
• Wein, Sheldon. "A Humean Theory of Distributive Justice for a New Century."  Paideia Project Online.
  
  
• Wolff, Jonathan. "Robert Nozick, Libertarianism, and Utopia."  A compilation of some of Wolff's critiques of libertarianism, drawn from multiple sources.
  

 

Popular discussion of and radio interviews about economic issues.

• Americans for Fair Taxation.  A group advocating a single, flat (non-progressive) national sales tax and to eliminate the progressive income tax.
  
  
• American Taxation Association.  Group that evaluates different tax policies.
  
  
• Daniels, Norman.  "The Government's Role in Health Care."  A radio interview in which Daniels advocates a strong governmental role in health care. [RealAudio]
  
  
• Economic Policy Institute.  A think tank specifically focused on national and international economic concerns.
  
  
• Einstein, Albert. "Why Socialism?"  From Monthly Review (1948).
  
  "Government is Good" web site. Developed and maintained by noted political scientist Douglas Amy.
  
  
• Heritage Foundation's page of resources on Welfare.
  
  
• Ignatieff, Michael.  "Welfare."  In a radio interview, the Carr Professor of Human Rights discusses the rational for, and the limitations of, state sponsored welfare programs. [RealAudio]
  
  
• The Invistible Hand. A political sleight of hand. An argument that most people, and especially conservatives, misquote and misunderstand Adam Smith's notion of "The Invisible Hand." It is not, as so many people believe, an argument for indifference, greed, or self-interest.
  
• Lessig, Lawrence. "Forms of Property."  Stanford Law Professor Lessig explains in a radio interview about the different types of property. [RealAudio]
  
  
• Lessig, Lawrence. "Intellectual Property." Stanford Law Professor Lessig discusses the particular problems that arise in understanding and protecting intellectual property rights. [RealAudio]
  
  
• Martin, Phillip. "Migrant Workers."  A California sociologists discusses the nature of migrant workers, including their impact on the economy. [RealAudio]
  
  
• Martin, Rod. "Flat Taxes."  The founder of The Vangaurd argues in the radio interview against progressive taxation.  [RealAudio]
   
• Pew Charitable Trusts.  Succeeding generations are not doing as well as their parents – unless they are rich.
   
• Schmidtz, David.  "Private Property."  Schmitz, a University of Arizona philosopher argues for the important in private property.  [RealAudio]
  
  
• United for a Fair Economy.  A think tank that advocates a fairer taxation scheme.  Criticizes  the current trends toward concentrating wealth in the hands of a few. 
  
  
• Urban Institute's pages of links on welfare and welfare reform.
  
  
• Welfare Information Network.  Links of current changes in welfare policies in various states.
  
  
• Welfare Law Center.  An organization representing welfare recipients, to ensure they receive the benefits to which they are entitled.
  

back to home page