Social Justice Activism

Social Justice Arguments
Patrick Diamond and Anthony Giddens (professors of Economics and Sociology,
respectively) hold that 'pure meritocracy is incoherent because, without redistribution,
one generation's successful individuals would become the next generation's embedded
caste, hoarding the wealth they had accumulated'.
They also state that social justice requires redistribution of high incomes and large
concentrations of wealth in a way that spreads it more widely, in order to "recognise the
contribution made by all sections of the community to building the nation's wealth."
(Patrick Diamond and Anthony Giddens, June 27, 2005, New Statesman)
Pope Francis stated in his Evangelii gaudium, that "as long as the problems of the poor
are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial
speculation and by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be found
for the world's problems or, for that matter, to any problems." He later declared that
"inequality is the root of social evil."
When income inequality is low, aggregate demand will be relatively high, because more
people who want ordinary consumer goods and services will be able to afford them,
while the labor force will not be as relatively monopolized by the wealthy.
Effects on Social Welfare
In most western democracies, the desire to eliminate or reduce economic inequality is
generally associated with the political left. One practical argument in favor of reduction
is the idea that economic inequality reduces social cohesion and increases social
unrest, thereby weakening the society. There is evidence that this is true (see inequity
aversion) and it is intuitive, at least for small face-to-face groups of people. Alberto
Alesina, Rafael Di Tella, and Robert MacCulloch find that inequality negatively
affects happiness in Europe but not in the United States.
It has also been argued that economic inequality invariably translates to political
inequality, which further aggravates the problem. Even in cases where an increase in
economic inequality makes nobody economically poorer, an increased inequality of
resources is disadvantageous, as increased economic inequality can lead to a power
shift due to an increased inequality in the ability to participate in democratic processes.
Capabilities Approach
The capabilities approach – sometimes called the human development approach –
looks at income inequality and poverty as form of "capability
deprivation". Unlike neoliberalism, which "defines well-being as utility maximization",
economic growth and income are considered a means to an end rather than the end
itself. Its goal is to "wid[en] people's choices and the level of their achieved well-
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