Inequality CCBE

Justice

• Justice is a key concept in evaluating human behavior, economic decisions, and social orders.
• The principle of "equal should be treated equally and unequal should be treated unequally" is often used.
• However, applying this principle in real-world situations can be complex due to varying interpretations of what constitutes "equal" and "unequal" treatment.

Needs-based justice:

• Supports distributing resources to meet basic needs.
• Emphasizes equal rights and human dignity.
• Guarantees a minimum level of basic needs fulfillment.
• Examples include unconditional basic income and social safety nets aiming to prevent poverty.
• There is debate about the definition of basic needs and what constitutes luxury goods.

Performance-based justice:

• Rewards individuals based on their contributions.
• Examples include pension schemes that link retirement benefits to contributions during working life.
• Fair in the sense that unequal contributions should result in unequal compensation.
• Challenges include objectively assessing and measuring the value of contributions.

Market-based justice (Marktgerechtigkeit):

• A specific form of performance-based justice where market forces determine fairness.
• Wages and compensation are determined by market demand and supply.
• For example, a cook's earnings are based on restaurant patronage and customer willingness to pay.
• High wages in investment banking and low wages in care jobs can be considered fair under this concept, as market demand dictates these disparities.
• This approach emphasizes market outcomes and not necessarily individual efforts.

Justice

• Justice provides criteria to evaluate human behavior, economic decisions, and social orders.
• The principle of equality states that equals should be treated equally and unequals should be treated unequally.
• Different situations and varying concepts of justice influence how justice is assessed.

Needs-Based Justice

• Favors a distribution of resources that prioritize basic needs.
• Assumes equal rights and human dignity, guaranteeing a minimal or appropriate coverage of basic needs.
• Examples include unconditional basic income and the Austrian “bedarfsorientierte Mindestsicherung,” aiming to ensure societal participation.
• The definition of basic needs versus luxury goods is blurry.
• The concept of needs-based justice extends beyond traditional basic needs to include essential psychological aspects - autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

Performance-Based Justice

• Remuneration should be based on individual contributions.
• Examples include the Austrian pension scheme, where higher contributions during working life result in larger pensions.
• Unequal pay is seen as fair for unequal contributions.
• The challenge is to determine and objectively measure valuable contributions.

Market Justice

• A special form of performance-based justice where market forces determine objectivity.
• Pay is not based on training or experience but on market demand and consumer willingness to pay.
• This perspective justifies disparities in salaries between high-demand professions (like investment banking) and low-demand professions (like care jobs), arguing that market forces dictate fair compensation.

Explore the complexities of justice in human behavior and economic decisions. This quiz covers needs-based and performance-based justice, examining how resources and rewards are distributed in society. Understand the debates surrounding fairness and equality in real-world applications.