1 / 38

UNIT 7: THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

UNIT 7: THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY. THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE. Meaning and Relevance of ‘Social Justice’ in Planning. What is Social Justice?

easter
Télécharger la présentation

UNIT 7: THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. UNIT 7: THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  2. THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  3. Meaning and Relevance of ‘Social Justice’ in Planning What is Social Justice? • Often associated with creating an egalitarian society that understands and values human rights, and recognizes the dignity of every human beings. THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  4. Meaning and Relevance of ‘Social Justice’ in Planning What is Social Justice? • Based on the concepts of human rights and equality and involves a greater degree of economic egalitarianism through, for example: •  progressive taxation, • income redistribution, or • property redistribution. THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  5. Meaning and Relevance of ‘Social Justice’ in Planning What is the Relevance of Social Justice in the Theory and Practice of Planning? • Deals with ethics in planning—i.e. moral issues regarding what is right or wrong • Relevant because planning implicitly deals with distribution of societal resources THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  6. Conceptions of Social Justice What are the Different Conceptions of Social Justice? • Social Justice has been conceptualized based on different societal values, e.g. • Rights (i.e. human rights) • Needs • Equity/Equality • Merit THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  7. Conceptions of Social Justice What are the Different Conceptions of Social Justice? • Based on one or the other of the above-listed values, the ff notions can be identified: • Utilitarian Conceptions of Social Justice • Nozick’s Conception of Social Justice • Rawl’s Conception of Social Justice • Macpherson’s Conception of Social Justice THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  8. Utilitarian Conceptions of Social Justice What is Utilitarianism as a Conception of Social Justice? • Utilitarian Value was developed by various philosophers (e.g. Chadwick, Durkheim) to inform planning in Western Europe in the 19th century • When the utilitarian is faced with various choices, he goes in for “that which brings the greatest happiness to the greatest number” THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  9. Utilitarian Conceptions of Social Justice What is Utilitarianism as a Conception of Social Justice? • That is, a planning decision is justified by its ability to “bring the greatest happiness to the greatest number”. • Such a decision is judged by the Balance of General Happiness THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  10. Utilitarian Conceptions of Social Justice Karl Popper’s Critique of Utilitarianism: Negative Utilitarianism • Utilitarianism neglects the Minority. • Karl Popper came out with Negative Utilitarianism as an alternative to Balance of General Happiness THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  11. Utilitarian Conceptions of Social Justice Karl Popper’s Critique of Utilitarianism: Negative Utilitarianism • Negative Utilitarianism encourages decision makers to make policies that minimize suffering rather than maximize happiness. • Thus, while Utilitarians focus on increasing for happiness the ‘Majority’, Negative Utilitarianism emphasizes reducing the suffering of the ‘Minority’ THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  12. Utilitarian Conceptions of Social Justice Application of Utilitarianism • Planning decisions in 19th century and early 20th century based on either Balance of General Happiness or Negative Utilitarianism • However, most were based on Balance of General Happiness. Why? THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  13. Utilitarian Conceptions of Social Justice Application of Utilitarianism • Popper failed to provide a concise comparative judgment definition of ‘suffering’ • Examples of planning decisions based on Utilitarianism: urban renewals, demolition exercises etc. THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  14. John Rawls’ Conception of Social Justice What are Rawls’ Main Ideas about Soc. Justice? • Rawls (1971) attempted to solve the problem of distributive justice. • His conception, known as "Justice as Fairness", is based on two principles:  a) the liberty principle b) the difference principle. THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  15. John Rawls’ Conception of Social Justice What are Rawls’ Main Ideas about Soc. Justice? • The Liberty Principle (First principle): each person is to have an equal right to the most extensive basic liberty compatible with a similar liberty for others • The Difference Principle (Second Principle): Distribution should give the greatest benefit to the most disadvantaged. THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  16. John Rawls’ Conception of Social Justice What are Rawls’ Main Ideas about Soc. Justice? • Rawls also introduced ‘Just Savings’: • each generation’s use of resources not to adversely affect future generations • Just Savings = Inter-generational Equity THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  17. John Rawls’ Conception of Social Justice Critique of Rawls’ Conception of Social Justice • Left (Socialists or Marxist): those who own means of production will not allow it. If they do, it would be for their “enlightened interest” • Right (Capitalists): Too much of intervention in the market • Assumes too much consensus in society—that the rich will agree to distribution against them THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  18. Robert  Nozick’s Conception of Social Justice What are Nozick’s Ideas about Soc. Justice? • He emphasizes individual liberties as opposed to state interference • A distribution is just if it results from free exchange among consenting adults and from a just starting position  • The sacrosanctity of life makes property rights non-negotiable  THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  19. Robert  Nozick’s Conception of Social Justice Critique of Nozick’s Conception of Social Justice • Too conservative and market-oriented • Does not favour the poor, minorities and the disadvantaged THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  20. Macpherson’s Conception of Social Justice What are Macpherson’s Ideas about Soc. Justice? • He sees individuals as members of society and NOT disassociated individuals with market maximizing behaviour. • Goes beyond abstract human rights and focuses on economic and material well-being THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  21. Macpherson’s Conception of Social Justice What are Macpherson’s Ideas about Soc. Justice? • Economic Justice demands state intervention to minimise market distortions • 2 aspects of Macpherson’s Economic Justice: • Commutative Justice • Distributive Justice THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  22. Macpherson’s Conception of Social Justice i. Commutative Justice: • Justice in all exchanges thru just price • Otherwise, govt should intervene ii. Distributive Justice: • Every hh to have income necessary for a decent life • Distribution to be done on merit, not what the market dictates THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  23. Macpherson’s Conception of Social Justice Application • Influenced govt interventions to bring those below poverty line above the line • Consistent with calls for WTO’s intervention to ensure fair international trade • State policies in Scandinavian countries that frown on allowing people to remain below poverty line THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  24. THE CONCEPT OF EFFICIENCY THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  25. Meaning of Efficiency What is Efficiency? • Often used to describe the extent to which we are able to maximize ‘output’ and/or minimize effort through the use of a machine, method, strategy, process, etc THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  26. Meaning of Efficiency What is Efficiency? • Example: • In physics, ratio of useful work performed by a machine to total energy used • In agric, e.g. # of Mt of rice produced per unit of land, labour, etc using a given farming method THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  27. Meaning of Efficiency What is Efficiency? • More complicated when used to evaluate public-sector decisions • 2 popular conceptions: • Pareto Optimality • Kaldor-Hicks Criterion, and. THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  28. Pareto Optimality Vilfredo Pareto’s Conception of Efficiency • Used concept in to study economic efficiency and income distribution (1800s) • A resource-allocation decision is superior if it makes at least one person better off without making anyone worse off • Also includes situation in which gainers compensate losers such that no-one is made worse off THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  29. Pareto Optimality Some Key Terms 1. “better off” = "put in a preferred position" 2. Pareto Improvement: Process/act of making at least one individual better off without making any individual worse off THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  30. Pareto Optimality Some Key Terms 3. Pareto Optimality (Pareto Efficiency): further Pareto improvement impossible 4. Pareto Optimal (Pareto Efficient): (adj.) describes allocation that leads to the point where further Pareto improvement is impossible. THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  31. Pareto Optimality Some Key Terms 5. Pareto Inefficient: (adj.) describes situation in which Pareto Improvement is possible 6. Strong Pareto Optimum (SPO): (noun) allocation (decision) that leads to the point of Pareto Optimality THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  32. Pareto Optimality Critique of Pareto Optimality • Does not necessarily result in a socially desirable allocation since it makes no provision for equity or overall well-being of society • Highly idealistic—it hardly happens in the real world THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  33. Kaldor-Hicks Criterion What is Kaldor-Hicks Criterion (a.k.a. Potential Pareto Optimality)? • Proposed by Nicholas Kaldor and John Hicks (working independently) as alternative to Pareto Optimality • Efficient allocation results in gains that exceed any associated losses THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  34. Kaldor-Hicks Criterion What is Kaldor-Hicks Criterion (a.k.a. Potential Pareto Optimality)? • Gainers should only be in a position to compensate losers but do not need to actually do so • That is, it’s OK if there are net gains for society as a whole, regardless of distribution THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  35. Kaldor-Hicks Criterion What is Kaldor-Hicks Criterion (a.k.a. Potential Pareto Optimality)? • The foregoing implies: • Every Pareto Improvement is a Kaldor-Hicks Improvement BUT NOT all Kaldor-Hicks Improvements constitute Pareto Improvements THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  36. Kaldor-Hicks Criterion Critique of Kaldor-Hicks Criterion • Allows for some people to be disadvantaged while others are advantaged THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  37. Kaldor-Hicks Criterion Real-World Application • Implied in use of efficiency to evaluate alternative decisions or do ex-post evaluation of programmes, projects, etc • Cost-Benefit Analysis (NPV, CBR, BCR, IRR) as a classic example—comparison b/n discounted social benefits and costs THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

  38. Discussion Questions: Equity vs. Efficiency • Would you consider Equity and Efficiency as social values in public sector planning? • Do you see a conflict between Equity and Efficiency? • Which of the two should be planners’ main concern, Equity or Efficiency? • Should there be trade-offs between Equity and Efficiency? THEORIES OF SOCIAL JUSTICE & EFFICIENCY

More Related