New at Cato Unbound: Me on “Economic Inequality and the Mirage of Injustice”

by Will Wilkinson on October 12, 2009

I lead off this month’s Cato Unbound devoted to “Inequality: Facts and Values” with an essay on “Economic Inequality and the Mirage of Injustice.” Replies later this week and next from Arizona economic sociologist Lane Kenworthy, Mason economic historian John Nye, and Michigan political philosopher Elizabeth Anderson.

I draw a good deal from my July inequality paper, but I refer to a number of fresh studies and explore the moral dimensions of ”skill-biased technical change” and big increases in CEO pay — two of the leading candidates for rising inequality.

Please check it out. And blog about it!

Pedro

I think James has a good point. You might believe the institutions to be fine and just, but still regard the inevitable operation of the market on the distribution as a separate injustice to be remedied by government action. Now I think people making that case on justice grounds have a hard row to hoe, and James seems to slip straight to the utilitarian argument.

James

You seem to assume that the reader will automatically agree with you that income inequality is a symptom of a previous injustice rather than an injustice itself.

For starters, I think you need to address the diminishing marginal utility argument, as well as general leftist arguments about the undesirability of income inequality.

Brian Moore

Because I was stupid and hit post too early, I didn't write this:

"participate fully in our institutions" -- I think this is extremely important, not only because of the direct benefits of education, but because schools are usually the first non-family institution any of us encounter. I have the creeping suspicion that the low quality of these educational institutions contributes to a lot of the problems their students have later on with all the other institutions they encounter, even though some of them are designed to help them.

Because they treat the students so poorly, this establishes a very poor mental image of institutions in general. And it's not unjustified -- if school determines your view of "organizations with older people with more authority than me" then you are going to have a poor opinion of schools, banks, government, corporations and many others -- to your own detriment.

Anyway, sorry to babble about a single line!

Brian Moore

"Legions of inner-city kids consigned to abysmal public schools are systematically denied a fair chance to develop the capacities need to participate fully in our institutions, or to enjoy their potentially ample rewards."

My favorite line! The inequality research is great too, but I had been previously converted to the view by some of the stuff you've posted/linked before.