Democracy and Liberal Socialism :: Politics Government Regime Papers

Democracy and Liberal SocialismThis paper deals with the characteristic features of Rawls upper-class democracy, and whether a plentiful elected socialism can be congenial with Rawls political liberalism. I consider that a property-owning democracy can be compatible with Rawlsian justice bandage liberal socialism cannot. I understand the choice between property-owning democracy and liberal socialism as the problem of which kind of regimen is more compatible with the pluralism of modern democracies. Property-owning democracy is more compatible with Rawls political liberalism since it permits a wider variety of the conceptions of the good than liberal socialism while at the uniform time permitting worker-managed firms thus I argue that it can be understood as a mixed regime. What kind of economic regime is more compatible with Rawlsian justice, private ownership or social ownership of the means of production? Since Rawls has published A Theory of Justice,(1) there has been mu ch debate over this problem. around argue that A Theory of Justice offers a philosophical apologia for an egalitarian brand of welfare state capitalism.(2) Others argue that his political and economic regime is completely different from the capitalism in the classical sense of Marxism.(3) But he himself rejects a welfare-state capitalism and illustrates a property-owning democracy and a liberal (democratic) socialism as economic regimes consistent with his justice as fairness.(4)I will deal with the following problems in this paper what are the characteristic features of the property-owning democracy as an alternative to capitalism? Can a liberal democratic socialism be compatible with Rawlss political liberalism? I will argue that a property-owning democracy can be compatible with Rawlsian justice but a liberal socialism, particularly concerning his political liberalism, cannot. And I will indicate my understanding of his property-owning democracy as a mixed regime. 1. Rawlss co nception of property-owning democracy (5)a) the main institutions of Rawlss property-owning democracyRawls thinks that his property-owning democracy realizes exclusively the main political values expressed by the two principles of justice, but a capitalist welfare state does not. He thinks of such a democracy as an alternative to capitalism. Concluding his survey, Rawls outlines the main institutions of property-owning democracy as followsi) Provisions for securing the fair value of the political liberties, ii) Provisions for realizing fair equality of prospect in education and training, iii) A basic level of health-care provided for all.(6)Furthermore, Rawls insists upon two conditions 1) a regime of competitive markets, and 2) state intervention both to correct market imperfections (e.