What Is “Distributive” Justice?

Many people easily use “distributive” or even “social” justice to designate a more equitable sharing out of income and wealth. For example, Musgrave and Musgrave [pp. 84–85]; Sahota [p. 34 et seq]. But it is my obstinate contention that the latter involves, in fact, three forms of justice: social, distributive and exchange, and that the concept of distributive justice is still best reserved for its old sense of sharing out community benefits and burdens to individual members (I). Next, in seeking to know its practical applications, as in the case of any form of justice, the usual questions arise of defining a basic concept, moving on to intermediate principles, and spelling out detail amid inevitable disagreements (II). I have applied this same view elsewhere [McKee, 1979]. See also Purcell. The third section of the paper connects up my approach with current discussion of income distribution and inequalities in positive economics (III).