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Political Philosophy and the Real World of the Welfare State
Author(s) -
Wolff Jonathan
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of applied philosophy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.339
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1468-5930
pISSN - 0264-3758
DOI - 10.1111/japp.12125
Subject(s) - politics , political philosophy , value (mathematics) , economic justice , state (computer science) , disadvantaged , welfare , set (abstract data type) , welfare state , positive economics , epistemology , law and economics , sociology , political science , law , economics , philosophy , computer science , algorithm , programming language , machine learning
What contribution can political philosophers make to policy questions, such as the best configuration of the welfare state? On one view, political philosophers set out abstract theories of justice that can guide policy makers in their attempt to transform existing institutions. Yet it rarely seems the case that such a model is used in practice, and it therefore becomes unclear how political philosophy can contribute to policy debates. Following a suggestion from M argaret M ac D onald, I consider the view that political philosophers can contribute by drawing attention to relatively neglected values. I develop this view to add the possibility that political philosophers can try to correct a situation in which a particular value, though important, can come to be too highly emphasised. I illustrate the account by considering the rise of the value of ‘responsibility’ in the welfare state, and ultimately the damage that has been done to society to disadvantaged groups by the over‐insistence on the importance of responsibility.