Liberal principles of Justice and Emerging Trend of Economic Liberalization: Lesson from Rawlsian Scheme of Distributive Justice
We are living in the age of so-called economic liberalization. Markets are expanding and States are voluntarily limiting their legitimate right as the only redistributing authority of resources. The money market has globalized in such a manner that state has almost lost its capacity to hold its redistributive function. Economic liberalization is one of the most dominating policy frame work which is to be pursued and institutionally concretized in many of the post-colonial societies as the legitimate and only viable alternative mechanism to regulate the distribution of resources. It has been claimed that the market is relatively far more just mechanism to distribute the legitimate share of recourses under the principle of efficiency. It is very interesting to note that the principle of efficiency has been presented in post-colonial societies as the only way to realize the principle of freedom. Because any attempt to counter the so-called policy of economic liberalization is presented as anti-liberal. However in Rawlsian frame work the principle of freedom is prior to the principle of efficiency. In this article it will be argued that in liberal conception of justice expounded by Rawls, the principle of liberty is prior to the principle of efficiency, and the distribution of resources through the myth of efficient-market-mechanism i.e. independent of State intervention and governance as redistributive authority is against the principle of liberty according to Rawls. Thus the so called economic liberalization and principle of liberty are mutually incompatible. Keywords: Distribution of Resources, Economic-liberalization, Liberalism, Market, Rawls, State.