Equality Efficiency
Arthur Okun argues that a clear line must be drawn between dollars and rights. At the heart of his argument is that there is an inherent conflict between the two in a capitalist democracy, and politicians can only resolve this conflict through "The Big Tradeoff." With respect to rights, Okun notes that they are fundamentally different from dollars in that they are inalienable and equally distributed, and that as such they cannot be bought and sold, nor distributed in any other manner. Rights, therefore, must be held outside the market, otherwise they will have a price and lose their inalienability. Dollars are different because they are not inalienable, and they can be traded or used as incentive. He thus argues that they two are fundamentally distinct from one another, and must be held separate as a result. There can be no blending of the two, or rights will no longer have the same meaning in society.
Okun believes that dollars often transgress on rights. He views the conflict between the two arising from a system where everybody has the same rights, but where economic outcomes are dramatically different. He sees uneven economic outcomes as representing "uneasy compromises rather than fundamental inconsistencies." This makes the study of economic outcomes under equal rights to be an economic one, since it very specifically involves making tradeoffs where the conflict exists. It is here that Okun sees dollars as transgressing over rights. One example that he cites is within the
In an economy that is based primarily on private enterprise, public efforts to promote equality represent a deliberate interference This passage posed crucial questions from the reader, one of which is the determination of the terms "split-level institutional structure" and "capitalistic level" for better comprehension among readers, especially those who does not have any background in economics. Apart from this fault in Okun's conceptual framework, this passage also failed to
Low Income Home Loans as Public Policy Since World War II, the United States government has developed public policies that aim to increase opportunities for home ownership through direct housing grants, loan guarantees, and targeted tax breaks (Dye, 2001). For many low-income families, these policies enabled them to purchase a home. Many of these policies were focused on providing assistance to low-income people. The Housing Act of 1959 expanded the Federal Housing
Instead Dahl assumes the notion that it would be best to have "a system of economic enterprises collectively owned and democratically governed by all the people who work in them," meaning that he differs from the notions of Okun and the Friedman's by proposing something radically different to promote the ultimate goal of democracy (Dahl 92). Neither equality nor freedom is necessary to fix the relationship between the economy and democracy, but rather a completely different
Essay Topic Examples 1. Exploring the Philosophical Foundations of Redistributive vs. Distributive Policies: This essay will delve into the core philosophical ideologies that underpin redistributive and distributive policies, examining the ethical and moral considerations that justify or critique the reallocation or initial allocation of resources in society. It will address concepts such as fairness, entitlement, equity, and justice to better understand the reasoning behind each approach to resource distribution. 2. Assessing
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now