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An Insurance Against a Short Life

In: Allocating Pensions to Younger People

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  • Gregory Ponthiere

    (UCLouvain)

Abstract

The existence of harm due to premature death constitutes a necessary, but not a sufficient condition for justifying the construction of a social insurance against a premature death. A key issue is whether or not this new pillar of social protection can be justified as an instrument serving the ideal of social justice. This chapter examines the desirability of a social insurance against a short life from the perspective of various ethical frameworks. It is first argued that neither utilitarianism nor Rawls’s Theory of Justice justifies the construction of a social insurance against a short life. However, it is possible to justify it on the grounds of Fleurbaey’s Principle of Compensation, according to which well-being inequalities due to circumstances should be abolished by the welfare state. At first glance, compensation for a premature death appears impossible, because victims of a premature death cannot be identified ex ante (when they are still alive), and cannot be compensated ex post (when they are dead). However, it is possible to construct a social insurance against a premature death by adopting age-based statistical discrimination favouring the young. By reallocating ‘good things of life’ towards young ages, one can improve the situation of all young persons, who will necessary include the persons who will turn out to die prematurely in the future.

Suggested Citation

  • Gregory Ponthiere, 2023. "An Insurance Against a Short Life," Springer Books, in: Allocating Pensions to Younger People, chapter 0, pages 39-72, Springer.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-031-24748-4_3
    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-24748-4_3
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