The author’s suggestions for enhancing social justice and well-being in this paragraph (pp 11), are a step in a progressive direction, but they definitely need to be thought over even more if the suggestion is to apply these concepts universally. The first suggestion to take wage determination out of the market and instead have it in a system of collective decision making in practice is going to play out very complexly. I would agree that having a minimum wage to support a basic standard of living is necessary. It is these factors that create a base line for what can be used to measure poverty, but that only begs the question of geography again as the inquiry becomes one of absolute versus relative poverty. The second point that it is necessary to expand the welfare state and welfare programs at the national level. I agree with this to an extent, as programs that compensate for unemployment should be audited at a national level to allow for mobility of citizens within the nation, it becomes problematic in very large nation-states because of the overlapping areas of jurisdiction. I would draw on the example of childcare to explain this. If you consider childcare a type of “welfare” program, which you would have to in the case of many households, then you put the safety of the child with the state rather than the family. In my opinion, this design creates a huge web of conflicts of interest that can get extremely messy. The next point given is to provide workers with a national basic income system that frees them from slavery. I completely support this, as I’m sure any rational person would. Clearly, the only way to ensure that this is provided for all citizens is through fair taxation and a reliable system of redistribution. The fourth point, to “transform the structure of poverty relations and capitalist relations”, is a bit unclear. I think that the following point, to stimulate worker cooperatives so that the producers in each enterprise make the major decisions and share the revenues, serves as an explanation of a potential means to an end. It is in a sense giving the workers agency. The final point here, is to work towards a new global order with a supranational state that can tax and regulate or redistribute capital and income across national borders. This question of imposing a supranational government is really the big one that thinkers in this field ought to be considering. Here lies the major debate in international relations and global politics. Will adding another level of government above the state (which will limit the state and redefine sovereignty) be helpful? Or will it simply become another layer of bureaucracy that absorbs resources, but does not change the situation for those on the bottom?
The author’s suggestions for enhancing social justice and well-being in this paragraph (pp 11), are a step in a progressive direction, but they definitely need to be thought over even more if the suggestion is to apply these concepts universally. The first suggestion to take wage determination out of the market and instead have it in a system of collective decision making in practice is going to play out very complexly. I would agree that having a minimum wage to support a basic standard of living is necessary. It is these factors that create a base line for what can be used to measure poverty, but that only begs the question of geography again as the inquiry becomes one of absolute versus relative poverty. The second point that it is necessary to expand the welfare state and welfare programs at the national level. I agree with this to an extent, as programs that compensate for unemployment should be audited at a national level to allow for mobility of citizens within the nation, it becomes problematic in very large nation-states because of the overlapping areas of jurisdiction. I would draw on the example of childcare to explain this. If you consider childcare a type of “welfare” program, which you would have to in the case of many households, then you put the safety of the child with the state rather than the family. In my opinion, this design creates a huge web of conflicts of interest that can get extremely messy. The next point given is to provide workers with a national basic income system that frees them from slavery. I completely support this, as I’m sure any rational person would. Clearly, the only way to ensure that this is provided for all citizens is through fair taxation and a reliable system of redistribution. The fourth point, to “transform the structure of poverty relations and capitalist relations”, is a bit unclear. I think that the following point, to stimulate worker cooperatives so that the producers in each enterprise make the major decisions and share the revenues, serves as an explanation of a potential means to an end. It is in a sense giving the workers agency. The final point here, is to work towards a new global order with a supranational state that can tax and regulate or redistribute capital and income across national borders. This question of imposing a supranational government is really the big one that thinkers in this field ought to be considering. Here lies the major debate in international relations and global politics. Will adding another level of government above the state (which will limit the state and redefine sovereignty) be helpful? Or will it simply become another layer of bureaucracy that absorbs resources, but does not change the situation for those on the bottom?