Shrinking Distance: Global Justice in a Globalizing World

Abstract

More than 2.7 billion people have less than US$2 a day on which to live. The world's 358 richest people have more money than the combined annual incomes of countries with 45% of the world's population. Traditionally social and political philosophy has focused on intra-national issues and institutions. But the fact that the world is becoming increasingly interconnected raises an important philosophical question: To what, if anything, are the global poor entitled? This book does two things. First, it argues that to be legitimate, the global institutional system must do what it can to enable people to meet some of their basic needs. Second, it considers which ways of altering the global institutional system might make it more legitimate.