Relocating the responsibility cut : should more responsibility imply less redistribution?

Abstract

Liberal egalitarian theories of justice argue the inequalities arising from non-responsibility factors should be eliminated, but that inequalities arising from responsibility factors should be accepted. The paper discusses how the fairness argument for redistribution within a liberal egalitarian framework is affected by a relocation of the cut between responsibility and non-responsibility factors. The paper also discusses the claim that equalization of som non-responsibility factors will reduce the ideal level of redistribution.