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Palgrave Macmillan

The Problem of Property

Taking the Freedom of Nonowners Seriously

  • Book
  • © 2023

Overview

  • Presents a new theory of justice in which Universal Basic Income (UBI) plays a central role
  • Puts forth a new theory of justice that is an alternative to natural rights theory and social contract theory
  • Provides two arguments for UBI and defends it against three of the most common ethical criticisms of UBI

Part of the book series: Exploring the Basic Income Guarantee (BIG)

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

Keywords

About this book

This book is Karl Widerquist’s first statement of the “indepentarian” theory of property, called, “Justice as the Pursuit of Accord” (JPA). It argues the natural-rights-based arguments for unequal private property have failed to establish that institution as right. It is a legal privilege, inconsistent with the maximum equal freedom from interference. The book discusses how to establish and maintain a property system that best promotes freedom from interference. Paying taxes and obeying regulations is part of the purchase price of the right to control, use, or use-up any good made partly out of natural resources (i.e. all goods), because doing so interferes with people who control, use, or use-up fewer natural resources. A sufficient portion of that tax revenue has to be redistributed in the form of a Universal Basic Income to ensure the property system is in the interest of everyone.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Georgetown University in Qatar, Doha, Qatar

    Karl Widerquist

About the author

Karl Widerquist is a Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University-Qatar. He specializes in distributive justice—the ethics of who has what. He has published dozens of articles in fields as diverse as economics, philosophy, politics, and anthropology.


Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Problem of Property

  • Book Subtitle: Taking the Freedom of Nonowners Seriously

  • Authors: Karl Widerquist

  • Series Title: Exploring the Basic Income Guarantee

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21948-1

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Economics and Finance, Economics and Finance (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-031-21947-4Published: 02 January 2023

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-21950-4Published: 22 September 2023

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-21948-1Published: 01 January 2023

  • Series ISSN: 2662-3803

  • Series E-ISSN: 2662-3811

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: IX, 131

  • Number of Illustrations: 2 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Public Economics, Economic Policy, Labor Economics, Social Philosophy

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