In class, we discussed the “veil of ignorance” justification for some redistribution of income. Under the veil of ignorance notion, it has been suggested that citizens might be in favor of some redistribution from the rich to the poor becauseSelected answer will be automatically saved. For keyboard navigation, press up/down arrow keys to select an answer.athe poor are often ignorant about how to escape poverty on their own.bthe rich have higher marginal utility of income than the poor.cthat would be their preferred policy if they had to form a viewpoint before knowing what kind of family they would be born into (i.e., their situation in life).dthe rich are sometimes uninformed about how to efficiently donate money where it will be most valued.
Question
In class, we discussed the “veil of ignorance” justification for some redistribution of income. Under the veil of ignorance notion, it has been suggested that citizens might be in favor of some redistribution from the rich to the poor becauseSelected answer will be automatically saved. For keyboard navigation, press up/down arrow keys to select an answer.athe poor are often ignorant about how to escape poverty on their own.bthe rich have higher marginal utility of income than the poor.cthat would be their preferred policy if they had to form a viewpoint before knowing what kind of family they would be born into (i.e., their situation in life).dthe rich are sometimes uninformed about how to efficiently donate money where it will be most valued.
Solution
The "veil of ignorance" concept is a thought experiment used in moral and political philosophy to discover what type of society people would choose to live in if they did not know beforehand what their position in that society would be. This concept is often used to argue for policies that promote social justice and equality.
In the context of income redistribution, the "veil of ignorance" suggests that people might support some redistribution from the rich to the poor because they would want this safety net in place if they ended up being poor themselves. This is captured in option c: "that would be their preferred policy if they had to form a viewpoint before knowing what kind of family they would be born into (i.e., their situation in life)."
The other options (a, b, and d) are not directly related to the "veil of ignorance" concept. Option a and d suggest that the poor and the rich, respectively, lack certain knowledge or skills, while option b suggests that the rich derive more satisfaction from each additional unit of income than the poor. These may be arguments for income redistribution, but they are not based on the "veil of ignorance" idea.
Similar Questions
In the class lecture notes, we discussed the utilitarian justification for redistribution of income using an example with Peter and Paul. Under the assumptions of that model, society’s total number of utils rises when income is transferred from a rich person to a poor person because:Selected answer will be automatically saved. For keyboard navigation, press up/down arrow keys to select an answer.athe rich have lower marginal utility of income than the poor.bgovernment transfers are more efficient than private charities.cthere is more social harmony when income levels are equalized.dthe poor have lower marginal utility of income than the rich.eGNP rises when wealth is more evenly spread out across the population.
The belief that cutting taxes for the rich will eventually result in economic benefits for the middle-class and the poor is commonly referred to as:Group of answer choicesPork barrel politicsKeynesian economicsTrickle-down economicsSocialism
In the Sherman (2017) “What the rich won’t tell you” reading, Sherman’s main point is best summarized by:Stereotypes of the rich are unjust and stigmatizing the actual rich who live relatively normal lives.High levels of inequality are morally problematic, regardless of how nice wealthy people are.Being very wealthy is unproblematic as long as wealthy people are morally good.Affluence among the 1% can best be characterized by never having to worry about money.
Using your basic knowledge of economics, evaluate the extent to which income re-distribution is necessary to reduce the level of income inequality in society
explain poverty
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