Responsibility-Egalitarian Taxation: A Distribution of Economic Inequalities

In recent years, distributive justice has been increasingly concerned with the elimination of disadvantages for which individuals are not responsible. Ideally, these misfortunes should be relieved by those whose fortune is not their responsibility. This is the core of responsibility-egalitarianism. This thesis asks how can it be possible that a society accomplishes a responsibility-egalitarian distribution of economic inequalities. More specifically, I discuss the real-world possibility of (re)distributing economic inequalities according to a specific version of responsibility-egalitarianism. If possible, this version would ensure that all disadvantaged individuals are able to avoid the economic disadvantages they face. I use Ronald Dworkin´s proposal for equality of resources as an example of this responsibility-egalitarian distribution and assess its application in the real-world by means of taxation. My thesis is that a responsibility-egalitarian distribution of economic...Show moreIn recent years, distributive justice has been increasingly concerned with the elimination of disadvantages for which individuals are not responsible. Ideally, these misfortunes should be relieved by those whose fortune is not their responsibility. This is the core of responsibility-egalitarianism. This thesis asks how can it be possible that a society accomplishes a responsibility-egalitarian distribution of economic inequalities. More specifically, I discuss the real-world possibility of (re)distributing economic inequalities according to a specific version of responsibility-egalitarianism. If possible, this version would ensure that all disadvantaged individuals are able to avoid the economic disadvantages they face. I use Ronald Dworkin´s proposal for equality of resources as an example of this responsibility-egalitarian distribution and assess its application in the real-world by means of taxation. My thesis is that a responsibility-egalitarian distribution of economic inequalities is possible by means of a new form of progressive income taxation. Establishing this scheme gives individuals the real ability of choosing to avoid misfortunate economic circumstances.Show less

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Responsibility-Egalitarian Taxation: A Distribution of Economic Inequalities