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Making Justice Sensitive to Responsibility

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  • Zofia Stemplowska

Abstract

When, if at all, can the fact that a person is responsible for his or her disadvantage justify leaving him or her to bear that disadvantage? Possibly no other question has caused more controversy among political theorists of egalitarianism in the last two decades. This article aims to show that it is possible to move beyond the answer to this question that is usually (rightly or wrongly) attributed to luck egalitarians without accepting the conclusion that a concern with responsibility is only marginal to theories of egalitarian justice. I identify the conditions under which disadvantage brought about through the exercise of responsibility should be accepted as just and show why egalitarians concerned with fair shares must sometimes accept as just even grave disadvantages.

Suggested Citation

  • Zofia Stemplowska, 2009. "Making Justice Sensitive to Responsibility," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 57(2), pages 237-259, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:polstu:v:57:y:2009:i:2:p:237-259
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9248.2008.00731.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Macleod, Colin M., 1998. "Liberalism, Justice, and Markets: A Critique of Liberal Equality," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198293972.
    2. Alexander Kaufman, 2004. "Choice, Responsibility and Equality," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 52, pages 819-836, December.
    3. Alexander Kaufman, 2004. "Choice, Responsibility and Equality," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 52(4), pages 819-836, December.
    4. Fleurbaey, Marc, 1995. "Equal Opportunity or Equal Social Outcome?," Economics and Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 11(1), pages 25-55, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Jens Damgaard Thaysen & Andreas Albertsen, 2017. "When bad things happen to good people," Politics, Philosophy & Economics, , vol. 16(1), pages 93-112, February.

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