25990 - Theories of Distributive Justice

Learning outcomes

The course offers an introduction to the economic analysis of the main theories of distributive justice. It aims to provide the conceptuals tools needed to allow students to understand the main theoretical issues and to take part, with sufficient precision and autonomy, to the contemporary political and economic debate.

Course contents

1. Introduction: social justice and economic analysis.

A look at data

The role of value judgements in economic analysis.

First and second welfare theorems.

2. Distributive justice and social choce.

Social welfare, interpersonal comparisons and justice (Paretian criterion; social ordering; social welfare function; Arrow impossibility theorem; Rawlsian social welfare function; utilitarian social welfare function).

3. Egalitarianism.

Distributive justice as absence of envy (allocation envy-free; envy-free and Pareto efficient allocations; super-fariness).

Introduction to Dworkin (resources and preferences; personal responsibility and brute luck; equality of resources; the role of perfectly competitive markets).

The idea of quality of opportunity (compensation and remuneration; conditional egalitarian allocations; egalitarian equivalent allocations; liberal and utilitarian approaches; basic income).

4. Distributive justice and bargaining.

Social contract and bargaining games (Nash, Kalai-Smorodinski, utilitarian and proportional solutions).

5. Distributive justice and utilitarianism.

Introduction to Harsanyi (extended alternatives; extended preferences; impartial observer theorem; Harsanyi's doctrine; the problem of commitment).

6. Justice as fairness.

Introduction to Rawls (fundamental structure of society; principles of justice; primary goods; original position; difference principle; the problem of commitment).

7. Fair social contract.

Introduction to Binmore (repeated games; social norms and equilibrium selection; self-enforcing social contract; evolution and original position).

8. Justice in entitlements.

Introduction to Nozick (justice in the acquisitions and justice in transfers; limiting clause and compensation; voluntary exchanges and the role of market)

9. Evolutionary theories of distributive justice.

Distributive justice as social convention (introduction to evolutionary games theory; conventional solutions in bargaining games with multiple equilibria).

Readings/Bibliography

- Negroni Giorgio, Analisi Economica e Teorie della Giustizia Sociale. Appunti delle Lezioni, mimeo, 2010.

Teaching methods

Traditional lectures by the instructor.

Assessment methods

A written exam at the end of the course

Teaching tools

A web page.

Office hours

See the website of Giorgio Giovanni Negroni