Chapter 14: Ethics and World Politics: Poverty and Global Distributive Justice

Question 1

Cases of extreme poverty

Answer 1

Estimated 1.1 billion people live on less than one dollar a day, and 2.6 billion live on less than two dollars a day

Question 2

What are the ethical approaches to Global Poverty?

Answer 2

Utilitarianism and Deontological Approach

Question 3

Utilitarianism Approach

Answer 3

The right act is that which maximizes well being for the greatest number of persons
The rich owes those suffering from avoidable suffering a duty or assistance of rescue, up to the point where further contributions will render the rich as worse off as the people they are assisting
Problem: it’s over demanding

Question 4

Deontological Approach

Answer 4

Rights-based approach
Emphasizes obligations and duties; emphasizes respect and protection of basic rights
Rights to sustenance as is basic as right to security

Question 5

What are the three phase of debates on how to address the problem of global distribution

Answer 5

Methodological challenge, problem of patriotic concern, and limited scope of justice

Question 6

Methodological challenge

Answer 6

Assumes that states are self-sufficient and closed system, applies within states, and can’t enforce people outside of your country
Criticism: states are non-sufficient (except maybe first world countries) and they’re constantly interacting with one another
Scope of global distributive justice must be extended, most people believe that this form of state is insufficient and ought to be dropped

Question 7

Problem of Patriotic Concern

Answer 7

Duties of global justice may be unfair as it will mostly fall on the citizens of the rich countries
Questioning the idea of national membership, especially of a member of a nation state
Committed towards fellow members and that one does not need to have toward foreign countries
Criticism: the rich understand that they should help those of their countries, but not strangers of a foreign country

Question 8

Limited Scope of Justice

Answer 8

Questions the validity of global distributive justice
Extension argument are fundamentally wrong
Absence of state global control

Question 9

Through the limited scope of Justice, what are the reasons why global distributive justice lacks validity?

Answer 9

1. Lack of Reciprocity
   States discharge their duties of assistance to each other
   Does not generate distributive commitments
2. Lack of Coercion
   No one in global community to coerce you to act
   Lawful coercion generates egalitarian commitment
3. Lack of shared governance
   State derives legitimacy from citizens, absence of idea of citizenry in global realm
4. Social cooperation
   Absence of social cooperation in global system, absence of authority, no shared governance, and realism (belief that states are constantly against each other).