Danne Nordling:
Liberty,
welfare, equity
The political institutions of a civilized society may be justified rather unequivocally with reference to three basic values and some evaluations plausible to most people. The three basic values are liberty, welfare and equity (social justice). Plausible evaluations are equality, equal treatment and public administration through democratic procedure.
Liberty - defined as being spared from compulsion from others - is something à priori maximal desirably for everybody.
Coercion (the opposite of liberty) is acceptable as a political institution in some exceptional cases, that should be as few as possible:
In the first place for the purpose of preventing individual coercion (murder, robbery, theft, fraud and the like).
In the second place for the purpose of promoting welfare in those fields where public goods can be produced (crime prevention, civil law, elementary education, basic research etc).
In the third place for the purpose of attaining welfare for individuals in fields where production on voluntary basis is obstructed or unacceptably difficult because of specific circumstances (e.g. streetlights, emergency rescue, creating opportunities for an insurance market).
Welfare (and prosperity) is desirable for the individual and is not generally in opposition to individual liberty. Most of the social welfare can therefore be produced on a voluntary basis - sometimes within a public framework.
Equity is chiefly a value of importance at the regulation of those restrictions of liberty that are a prerequisite of a civilized society. These restrictions pertain to two categories:
1) Between individuals
2) Between collectives and individuals
P1) Equity implies that all grown-ups have a right to as much liberty as is consistent with an equal liberty for all the others (equality and equal opportunities).
P2) Equity implies that all grown-ups must be treated equally by the collective institutions that are necessary for the function of the society (until other conditions have been agreed upon). There are two kinds of such collective institutions:
a) Institutions aimed at the preservation of a stable society (defense, police, judicature and public administration).
b) Institutions aimed at the safeguarding of certain positive effects and at facilitating the production of public goods.
Exceptions from equal treatment may be agreed upon in an original situation in order to guarantee a certain distribution of income, but only in case of unanimity. In other cases it will be presumed that everybody effects an insurance policy against life-threatening economic disaster and that public interference with the distribution of income stops at guaranteeing a subsistence level of income.
This scheme will give all participants a maximum liberty under the restrictions of basic economic security and efficient possibilities to produce public goods.