25990 - Theories of Distributive Justice

Learning outcomes

The course offers an introduction to the economic analysis of the main theories of distributive justice. It aims to provide the conceptuals tools needed to allow students to understand the main theoretical issues and to take part, with sufficient precision and autonomy, to the contemporary political and economic debate.

Course contents

PART I. Foundations.

In the first part we first look at the statistical data; then the main theoretical approaches will be introduced and critically evaluated.

1. Distributive justice and social choce.

Social welfare, interpersonal comparisons and justice(Paretian criterion; social ordering; social welfare function; Arrow impossibility theorem; Rawlsian social welfare function; utilitarian social welfare function).

2. Egalitarianism.

Distributive justice as absence of envy (allocation envy-free; envy-free and Pareto efficient allocations; super-fariness).

Introduction toDworkin (resources and preferences; personal responsibility and brute luck; equality of resources; the role of perfectly competitive markets).

The idea of quality of opportunity (compensation and remuneration; conditional egalitarian allocations; egalitarian equivalent allocations; liberal and utilitarian approaches).

3. Distributive justice and bargaining.

Social contract and bargaining games (Nash, Kalai-Smorodinski, utilitarian and proportional solutions).

4. Distributive justice and utilitarianism.

Introduction toHarsanyi (extended alternatives; extended preferences; impartial observer theorem; Harsanyi's doctrine; the problem ofcommitment).

5. Justice as fairness.

Introduction toRawls (fundamental structure of society; principles of justice; primary goods; original position; difference principle; the problem ofcommitment).

6. Fair social contract.

Introduction toBinmore (repeated games;social norms and equilibrium selection;self-enforcing social contract).

7. Justice in entitlements.

Introduction toNozick (justice in the acquisitions and justice in transfers; limiting clause and compensation; voluntary exchanges and the role of market)

PART II. Case studies.

The second part of the course willl be devoted to the application of the theoretical approaches to specific case studies. These will cover:

a) fairness and international trade;

b) land distribution and land grabbing;

c) fairness and natural resourses division (water);

d) fairness and global warming.

Readings/Bibliography

ForPart I:

• Negroni Giorgio, Analisi Economica e Teorie della Giustizia Sociale. Appunti delle Lezioni, mimeo, 2010.

For Part II, the detailed references will be given in class. A first tentative selection includes:

• Kapstein E., 2006, Economic Justice in an Unfair World, Princeton U. P.
• Van Parijs P., 2007, International Distributive Justice, in R. Goodin et al. (editor), A Companion to Contemporary Political Philosophy, Vol. 2, Oxford U. P.
• Johansson-Stennman O. and Konow J., 2010, Fair air: distributive justice and environmental economics, Environmental Resource Economics, vol. 46, pp. 147-166.
• Billette de Villemeur E. and Leroux J., 2011, Sharing the cost of global warming, Scandinavian Journal of Economics, vol. 113, pp. 758-783.
• Carraro C. et al., 2007, Negotiating on water: insights from non-cooperative bargaining theory, Environmental and Development Economics, vol. 12, pp. 329-349.
• Tisdell J. G., 2003, Equity and social justice in water doctrines, Social Justice Research, vol. 16, pp. 401-416.
• Roiatti F., 2010, Il Nuovo Colonialismo. Caccia alle terre coltivabili. Egea, 2010.

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures by the instructor.

Assessment methods

A written exam at the end of the course

Teaching tools

A web page.

Office hours

See the website of Giorgio Giovanni Negroni