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Freedom with forgiveness

Author

Listed:
  • Marc Fleurbaey

    (Université de Pau, Paris, France, marc.fleurbaey@univ-pau.fr)

Abstract

This article defends the principle of giving a fresh start to individuals who come to consider that they have mismanaged their share of resources at an earlier stage of their life. The first part challenges the ethical intuition that it would be unfair to tax the steadfast frugal in order to help the regretful spendthrift and argues that the possibility of changing one’s mind is an important freedom. The second part examines the disincentives induced by fresh-start policies. It shows that even when individuals can strategically misrepresent their preferences, there remains a significant difference between unforgiving and forgiving policies. It shows that the optimal policy does not only redistribute funds, but also puts protective constraints on early individual decisions (for example, compulsory saving through social security taxes).

Suggested Citation

  • Marc Fleurbaey, 2005. "Freedom with forgiveness," Politics, Philosophy & Economics, , vol. 4(1), pages 29-67, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:pophec:v:4:y:2005:i:1:p:29-67
    DOI: 10.1177/1470594X05049435
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    Cited by:

    1. Aitor Calo-Blanco, 2016. "Fair compensation with different social concerns for forgiveness," Review of Economic Design, Springer;Society for Economic Design, vol. 20(1), pages 39-56, March.
    2. Ali M. Ahmed & Elisabeth Lång, 2017. "The employability of ex-offenders: a field experiment in the Swedish labor market," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 6(1), pages 1-23, December.
    3. Marco Mariotti & Roberto Veneziani, 2018. "Opportunities as Chances: Maximising the Probability that Everybody Succeeds," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 128(611), pages 1609-1633, June.
    4. Stijn Baert & Elsy Verhofstadt, 2015. "Labour market discrimination against former juvenile delinquents: evidence from a field experiment," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(11), pages 1061-1072, March.
    5. Schaeffer, Yves & Aubert, Francis, 2010. "La pertinence de la politique rurale à l’aune des théories de la justice," Review of Agricultural and Environmental Studies - Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement (RAEStud), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), vol. 91(1).
    6. Aitor Calo-Blanco, 2022. "Fair income tax with endogenous productivities and a fresh start," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 20(2), pages 395-420, June.
    7. Yves Schaeffer & Francis Aubert, 2010. "La pertinence de la politique rurale à l’aune des théories de la justice," Review of Agricultural and Environmental Studies - Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement, INRA Department of Economics, vol. 91(1), pages 73-101.

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