Piketty claims the inequality of wealth is increasing and that this will cause problems of justice. Even though he might be right in his first claim, he has been criticized that he lacks the proper...Show morePiketty claims the inequality of wealth is increasing and that this will cause problems of justice. Even though he might be right in his first claim, he has been criticized that he lacks the proper moral arguments to defend his second claim. Yet, that does not mean he is wrong. To demonstrate why inequality of wealth is unjust, I will first need to determine what justice requires. To do so, I will examine Dworkin’s and Anderson’s theory of justice. I will argue that following either Dworkin or Anderson, Piketty is right and the current level of wealth inequality is unjust. Therefore, justice requires us to do something to reduce inequality. I will assert that a direct taxation of wealth is the best tool to do so. To examine how this would work out in practice, I will analyse the situation in the Netherlands. I will show that current wealth tax rates are strikingly low, but that merely increasing these rates would not work as a solution as people are poorly informed and use fallacious moral arguments. For that reason, I will follow Prabkahar in my conclusion that as a first step, it is essential to make people aware of the workings of taxation.Show less
This thesis explores why populist parties in Europe, and within the Netherlands in particular, have grown significantly in the last decades. This thesis will argue that key to this populist trend...Show moreThis thesis explores why populist parties in Europe, and within the Netherlands in particular, have grown significantly in the last decades. This thesis will argue that key to this populist trend has been the development of the capital/labour ratio.Show less
