Two Ideas for Treating People as Equals

Thomas Pogge

University of Sydney

Rawls’s own favored comprehensive doctrine / favored domestic conception of social justice

Qualifying conditions for comprehensive doctrines / domestic conceptions of social justice or decency to which Rawls is willing to assign equal standing.

Three such competitors that qualify by Rawls’s lights

Qualifying conditions for comprehensive doctrines / domestic conceptions to which competitor 1 is willing to assign equal standing.

Qualifying conditions for comprehensive doctrines / domestic conceptions to which competitor 2 is willing to assign equal standing.

Qualifying conditions for comprehensive doctrines / domestic conceptions to which competitor 3 is willing to assign equal standing.

UPSHOT: The qualifying competitors do not really get equal standing

Segment of U.S.

Population

Share of U.S. Household

Income 1928

Share of U.S. Household

Income 1978

Share of U.S. Household

Income 2007

Absolute Change in

Income Share 1978–2007

Relative Change in

Income Share

Richest 0.01 Percent

5.02 0.86 6.04 +5.18 +602%

Next 0.09 Percent

6.52 1.79 6.24 +4.45 +249%

Next 0.9 Percent

12.40 6.30 11.23 +4.93 +78%

Next 4 Percent

14.62 13.09 15.17 +2.08 +16%

Next 5 Percent

10.73 11.45 11.07 -0.38 -3%

Evolution of US National Household Income Distribution (Top Ten Percent)

Evolution of the Global Household Income Distribution at Market Exchange Rates

Segment of World

Population

Share of Global

Household Income 1988

Share of Global

Household Income 2005

Absolute Change in Income Share

Relative Change in Income Share

Richest 5 Percent

42.87 46.36 +3.49 +8.1%

Next 5 Percent

21.80 22.18 +0.38 +1.7%

Next 15 Percent

24.83 21.80 -3.03 -12.2%

Second Quarter

6.97 6.74 -0.23 -3.3%

Third Quarter

2.37 2.14 -0.23 -9.7%

Poorest Quarter

1.16 0.78 -0.38 -32.8%

S

Global Household Income Distribution 1988

Richest Ventile: 42.87%

Next Twenty Percent 46.63%

Second Quarter 6.97%

Top Five Percent 42.87%

2.37%

1.16%

Data Branko Milanovic, World Bank

S

Global Household Income Distribution 2005

Richest Ventile: 42.87%

Next Twenty Percent 43.98%

Top Five Percent 46.36%

2.14%

0.78%

Second Quarter 6.74% Data Branko Milanovic, World Bank

Treating Citizens Fairly• Prodecural Fairness, formal: equal political participation

• Procedural Fairness, material: fair value of political liberties

• Substantive (Outcome) Fairness, formal: non-discrimination

• Substantive (Outcome) Fairness, material — at least: In the choice

between two candidate national legislative outcomes, N 1 and N2, if

the representative groups that would do better with a decision in

favor of N1 are (i) larger, (ii) worse off and also (iii) more strongly

affected by the outcome than the representative groups that would

do better with a decision in favor of N2, then the basic commitment

to fairness requires that N1 be chosen over N2.

Treating Human Beings Fairly• Prodecural Fairness, formal: equal political participation

• Procedural Fairness, material: fair value of political liberties

• Substantive (Outcome) Fairness, formal: non-discrimination

• Substantive (Outcome) Fairness, material — at least: In the

choice between two candidate global agreements, G 1 and G2, if

the representative groups that would do better with a decision in

favor of G1 are (i) larger, (ii) worse off and also (iii) more strongly

affected by the outcome than the representative groups that

would do better with a decision in favor of G2, then the basic

commitment to fairness requires that G1 be chosen over G2.