Global justice: From theory to development action

Abstract

One of the new forces likely to influence the future of global change and re-shape development agendas is the growing theory and practice of global justice. The latter is founded upon the moral and political claim that, in today's globalising world, our duties and obligations to other persons extend beyond state borders. Two frontiers of the current theory and practice of global justice are poverty reduction and environmental sustainability. This paper draws on the discussion of the emerging theory and practice of global justice at the Development Studies Association conference 2008 on 'Development's Invisible Hands'. However, the idea of global justice is a source of intentional action and the basis of social and political struggles, not an 'invisible hand' of development. The focus of the paper is on particular cases of campaigns in the field of poverty reduction and environmental sustainability such as the Jubilee 2000 Debt Cancellation campaign, Make Poverty History and the campaign for farmers' rights. The argument of the paper is that global justice is both a normative claim and an instrument of social and political action. This is clearly reflected in campaigns for and debates on extending the idea of fairness beyond state borders. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

How inclusive can innovation and development be in the twenty-first century?

“…According to these principles '… social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both (a) reasonably expected to be to everyone's advantage and (b) attached to positions and offices open to all' (Rawls 1972, 60). 3 Although, as is well known (Papaioannou 2011;Papaioannou, Yanacopulos, and Aksoy 2009), in his The Laws of Peoples, Rawls (1999) strongly rejects the monism between the global and the domestic, Pogge (2005) insists that a global theory of justice can only be Rawlsian in its principles. Thus he proposes a global social structure guided by the difference principle and the equal right to basic liberty that can include institutions such as a Health Impact Fund (HIF), which would provide innovators with stable and financial incentives to address the needs of the poor.…”

Technological innovation, global justice and politics of development

“…How should goods be distributed? (Papaioannou et al, 2009). Addressing the fi rst question, cosmopolitans agree that it is individuals who should be targeted by a global theory of justice.…”

Innovation and development in search of a political theory of justice

“…According to these principles '…social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are both (a) reasonably expected to be to everyone's advantage, and (b) attached to positions and offices open to all' (Rawls, 1972: 60). Although, as has been stressed elsewhere (Papaioannou et al, 2009), in his The Law of Peoples, Rawls (1999) strongly rejects the monism between the global and the domestic, Pogge and Beitz insist that a global theory of justice can be Rawlsian in its principles. On the other hand, Buchanan (2004), although he accepts the importance of a global theory of distributive justice, he rejects Rawls's principles in favour of positive rights of distributive justice that can be legally enforced by international law.…”