This thesis will argue that it is possible for a theory of European justice to escape Hayek’s trap. I will demonstrate this by combining Van Parijs’ theory of European justice with Sangiovanni’s...Show moreThis thesis will argue that it is possible for a theory of European justice to escape Hayek’s trap. I will demonstrate this by combining Van Parijs’ theory of European justice with Sangiovanni’s account of European solidarity. I will show that a theory of European justice is the most plausible when grounded in (European) solidarity. Specifically, I will argue that the most plausible and desirable way of understanding European solidarity – from a liberal egalitarian perspective – is represented by Sangiovanni’s account of European solidarity. Sangiovanni’s account supports the political aspect of the argument made by Van Parijs and demonstrates that his interpretation of a theory of European justice can escape Hayek’s trap.Show less
This article examines how and to what extent different types of welfare regimes affect crime rates. The emergence of crime remains a subject demanding further research, especially with the...Show moreThis article examines how and to what extent different types of welfare regimes affect crime rates. The emergence of crime remains a subject demanding further research, especially with the disciplinary field ‘political economy’ as focal point. Three types of welfare regimes are investigated in this article, namely liberal, conservative and social democratic welfare regimes. This article has discovered several intriguing findings. First, statistical analysis has shown that social democratic welfare regimes suffer the least amount of crime in comparison to both liberal and constructive welfare regimes. Second, statistical analysis demonstrates that liberal welfare regimes experience the highest level of crime in comparison to social democratic and conservative welfare regimes. However, regarding the question ‘to what extent do welfare regimes affect crime rates’, evidence revealed that the impact of welfare state generosity is negligible. Finally, regarding the question ‘how do welfare regimes affect crime rates’, evidence shows that the way welfare regimes are constructed, rather than the amount of money spent, has a high possibility of affecting crime rates.Show less
The question of minority treatment, and illiberal minority treatment in particular, is an often contended subject among political philosophers. As most Western liberal democracies are multicultural...Show moreThe question of minority treatment, and illiberal minority treatment in particular, is an often contended subject among political philosophers. As most Western liberal democracies are multicultural it seems that this topic will remain relevant for a long time to come. This thesis presents the arguments of both autonomy liberalism and toleration liberalism in respect to the treatment of illiberal cultures within a liberal democratic state. While the arguments for toleration-based approach to liberalism are acknowledged and discussed, I devote a significant portion of this work to the defence of personal autonomy as the fundamental value within liberalism, as well as a value necessary to be acknowledged even by illiberal immigrant groups residing within a liberal democracy. Literature on the subject by well-established political philosophers is often focused solely on examples relevant to the United States of America, Canada or United Kingdom. The scope of this thesis is aimed at cases and national minorities relevant to Western Europe. The limits to toleration of illiberal minorities, which I establish in chapter 3, are in large part influenced by my understanding of personal autonomy as the fundamental value of liberalism, as well as by my interpretation of Raz's perception of personal value in both liberal and illiberal states. The differentiation of national minorities relevant to Europe from those relevant to the American continent is the focus for selecting the guiding principles for the evaluation of self-government claims of said minorities, a topic to which the entire chapter 4 is devoted.Show less
