Why Social Justice Matters

In the past twenty years, social injustice has increased enormously in Britain and the United States, regardless of the party in power. At the same time, the idea of social justice itself has been subverted, as the mantras of personal responsibility and equal opportunity have been employed as an excuse for doing nothing about the enrichment of the few at the expense of the many and for making ever harsher demands on the poor and vulnerable. With grace and wit, Brian Barry exposes the shoddy logic and distortion of reality that underpins this ideology. Once we understand the role of the social structure in limiting options, we have to recognize that really putting into practice ideas such as equal opportunity and personal responsibility would require a fundamental transformation of almost all existing institutions. Barry argues that only if inequalities of wealth and income are kept within a narrow range can equal prospects for education, health and autonomy be realized. He proposes a number of policies to achieve a more equal society and argues that they are economically feasible. But are they politically possible? The apparent stability of the status quo is delusory, he responds: radical changes in our way of life are unavoidable. Whether these changes are for better or for worse depends partly on the availability of a coherent set of principles and a programme flowing from them that is capable of mobilizing the growing discontent with business as usual'.

That is, ultimately, why social justice matters.

Preface vii
Part I Social Justice: The Basics
1 Why We Need a Theory 3
2 The Machinery of Social Injustice 14
3 The Scope of Social Justice 27
Part II Equality of Opportunity
4 Why Equal Opportunity? 37
5 Education 46
6 Health 70
7 The Making of the Black Gulag 95
Part IV The Cult of Personal Responsibility
10 Responsibility versus Equality? 131
11 Rights and Responsibilities 142
12 Irresponsible Societies 154
Part V The Demands of Social Justice
13 Pathologies of Inequality 169
14 Wealth 186
15 Jobs and Incomes 200
16 Can We Afford Social Justice? 215
Part VI The Future of Social Justice
17 The Power of Ideas 233
18 How Change Happens 243
19 Meltdown? 251
20 Justice or Bust 261
Notes 274
Index 311