Adam Smith on Justice and Distribution in Commercial Societies
Author(s)
Salter, John
Abstract
For many years, scholars have debated the relationship between Adam Smith’s concept of justice and issues of distribution. Some argue that income inequality and the needs of the poor are treated by Smith as questions of justice. In contrast, this paper argues that matters of distribution play no part in Smith’s theory of justice. Rather, Smith restricts the scope of economic justice to respect for existing property rights.
