Economic Inequality

Both Singapore and our broader world are marked by extreme inequality, whether the measure is income or wealth. At Equality&Democracy, we are political theorists, not economists: we use the empirical findings of economists as the backdrop for our explorations of justice and fairness.

Communitarian Democracy

‘Communitarian democracy’ is the form of democracy found in Singapore: combining the formal features of democratic electoral politics and genuine popular support with unapologetic anti-liberalism and a ‘skepticism regarding the rationality of ordinary citizens’. The term was coined by sociologist Chua Beng Huat.

Difference Principle

The ‘difference principle’ is a standard for assessing whether social and economic inequalities are fair and acceptable: it states that a social order should only benefit the better off if this will also improve the prospects of the least advantaged. The principle was proposed by philosopher John Rawls.

Capabilities Approach

The ‘capabilities approach’ proposes that the goal for egalitarians should be to ensure equal basic human capabilities – for health, housing, movement, education, and so on. Reducing economic inequality is a means to this end. The approach has been promoted by economist Amartya Sen and philosopher Martha Nussbaum.

Equal Opportunity

Intuitively, for an unequal social order to be fair, it must feature ‘equal opportunity’: everyone must have a fair opportunity of accessing its benefits. But theorists disagree about what exactly constitutes ‘opportunity’: is legal non-discrimination sufficient, or does genuine opportunity rely on a deeper social basis?

Democratic Participation

Within a formally democratic electoral system, citizen participation can vary widely. Participation includes voting; being consulted on policy; forming community or advocacy groups; joining political parties; and political protest. Theorists disagree what the optimal level and form of citizen participation in democracy might be.