Equality Social Justice And Our Future

What does social justice mean? What does true equality look like? At its core, social justice refers to the way wealth, opportunities, and resources are distributed within a society. With this essential book, readers will explore the ideas of social justice and equality and how they play out in society. By studying the history of equality movements and the leaders and activists who campaign for social justice today, readers will understand that fairness, justice, and equality are more than philosophical ideals. They will be prepared to address and set goals for reducing inequality in the future.

What does social justice mean? What does true equality look like? At its core, social justice refers to the way wealth, opportunities, and resources are distributed within a society. With this essential book, readers will explore the ideas of social justice and equality and how they play out in society. By studying the history of equality movements and the leaders and activists who campaign for social justice today, readers will understand that fairness, justice, and equality are more than philosophical ideals. They will be prepared to address and set goals for reducing inequality in the future.

‘Equality’ as an ideal has a long history, and while some progress has obviously been made, the persistence of certain inequalities is remarkable. In order to draw a detailed picture of equality’s nature, value, relevance, and scope, this book provides a multidisciplinary analysis. Using a classic three part framework, the book looks at the macro level (broader systemic, historical, conceptual, societal and European level), the meso level (concrete social institutions such as the labour market and the welfare state) and the micro level of the individuals and their relations and thoughts about equality (psychological reactions, cultural depictions and sociological analyses). The chapters not only provide an overview of the state of equality, but also identify promising areas of future research, and will be of interest to students and scholars across a number of fields including European studies, history, law, political philosophy, psychology, sociology and economics.

The International Forum for Social Development was a 3 year project undertaken by the United Nations. Department of Economic and Social Affairs between 2001 and 2004 to promote international cooperation for social development and supporting developing countries and social groups not benefiting from the globalization process. This publication provides an overview and interpretation of the discussions and debates that occurred at the four meetings of the Forum for Social Development held at the United Nations headquarters in New York, within the framework of the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development.

Embrace worker rights and build a better democracy

Can universities continue to play a major role in advancing social justice today? This volume illuminates key aspects of social justice as a theoretical project and as a set of practical challenges. Authors address related issues from the perspectives of active practitioners in the context of or from close proximity to universities.

We’ve been told, again and again, that life is unfair. But what if we’re wrong simply to resign ourselves to this situation? What if we have the power—and more, the duty—to change society for the better? We do. And our very nature inclines us to do so. That’s the provocative argument Peter Corning makes in The Fair Society. Drawing on the evidence from our evolutionary history and the emergent science of human nature, Corning shows that we have an innate sense of fairness. While these impulses can easily be subverted by greed and demagoguery, they can also be harnessed for good. Corning brings together the latest findings from the behavioral and biological sciences to help us understand how to move beyond the Madoffs and Enrons in our midst in order to lay the foundation for a new social contract—a Biosocial Contract built on a deep understanding of human nature and a commitment to fairness. He then proposes a sweeping set of economic and political reforms based on three principles of fairness—equality, equity, and reciprocity—that together could transform our society and our world. At this crisis point for capitalism, Corning reveals that the proper response to bank bailouts and financial chicanery isn’t to get mad—it’s to get fair.

In a broad critique of contempororary radical political theory, Joseph Schwartz imagines a feasible, progressive, majoritarian, global politics in a post-industrial world. What would it look like, and how could we get there?