Brock, Gillian --- "Theories of global justice" [2013] ELECD 1013; in Linarelli, John (ed), "Research Handbook on Global Justice and International Economic Law" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013) 1

Book Title: Research Handbook on Global Justice and International Economic Law

Editor(s): Linarelli, John

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781848449664

Section: Chapter 1

Section Title: Theories of global justice

Author(s): Brock, Gillian

Number of pages: 25

Abstract/Description:

What is global justice? Like many concepts in political philosophy, what global justice consists in is contested and the subject of much debate. However we can identify at least one common element to theorists’ use of the term, namely, an appreciation that the topic of justice is not exhausted by considering what justice within a state consists in, but rather that global justice includes a concern for matters of justice that extend beyond the borders of one’s state (which was the focus for most philosophical theorizing about justice up until a decade ago). Typical questions that have been the subject of much debate include these: What does global distributive justice consist of? What do people in one country owe to those in other countries? In particular, what are people living in affluent countries to do for those in vulnerable positions in developing countries, such as those who live off less than $1 (US) per day? What responsibilities, if any, arise from basic human rights? If we ought to protect basic human rights, when is military intervention permissible in the name of such protection? How, if at all, does membership in states or communities of affiliation matter to our obligations to assist? Is partiality towards compatriots justified in a world filled with the more pressing needs of non-compatriots? If there are obligations of global justice, how will these be implemented or enforced? Should our accounts of global justice be feasible? Is global democracy feasible or desirable?