Property-Owning Democracy

“This splendid volume offers a fresh alternative to stale debates about the welfare state versus unfettered markets. It invites us to think anew about the economic arrangements that make democracy possible. This book reconnects political philosophy with political economy, and sets a new and promising agenda for political theory, and for democratic politics."

—Michael J. Sandel, Harvard University

“Transforming principles of distributive justice into practical institutional designs is never an easy task. What O'Neill and Williamson have achieved, in assembling this collection of outstanding papers, is to supply us with strong reasons to believe that property-owning democracy is that transformation, with respect to John Rawls' account of just principles.”

—Hillel Steiner, Universities of Manchester and Salford

“Property-owning democracy is unfamiliar and not well-understood, but it is a promising ideal for progressive political economy. In this very instructive, wide-ranging, and most welcome volume, Martin O'Neill and Thad Williamson have assembled fourteen thoughtful essays and a substantial introduction which together explore its meaning and history, and the prospects of its implementation.”

—Paul Weithman, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews